Indigenous man called out ‘I’m dying’ with no response from prison staff in hours before death, Victorian inquest hears

Joshua Kerr, a Yorta Yorta and Gunnaikurnai man, died while on remand at Port Phillip prison on 10 August 2022. Photograph: Kerr family/AAP

An Indigenous Victorian man who died in custody in 2022 was “visibly unresponsive” for 17 minutes before receiving medical treatment, after having earlier called out “I’m dying” with no action from prison staff, the state coroner’s court has heard.

Joshua Kerr, a Yorta Yorta and Gunnaikurnai man, died while on remand at Port Phillip prison on 10 August 2022. The Victorian coroner’s court on Monday began an inquest into the death of the 32-year-old.