The governor of a women’s prison where senior correctional officer Wayne Astill raped a number of inmates extended his tenure in the role even after she was made aware of “serious allegations” by inmates that she said she believed.
Appearing before the special commission of inquiry into what staff and prison management knew about Astill’s offending, the Dillwynia governor, Shari Martin, could not explain why she had made that decision.
Astill was jailed for a maximum of 23 years earlier this year for abusing his position and assaulting women at the Dillwynia correctional centre, on the outskirts of Sydney, for several years.
He was a prison officer and then chief correctional officer at the prison before his arrest in 2019. He was found guilty last year of 27 charges, including aggravated sexual and indecent assault before the government then launched the inquiry.
The inquiry heard that in 2018 Martin had advised Astill to have “no further formal contact” with one of the inmates who had made “serious allegations” about him, which Martin said she believed.
“She was scared. She’d made a complaint,” Martin said.
Martin agreed there was a “dreadful state of affairs” at the prison at the time. She said she would have reported the issue to her boss but would not have taken it further because she had learned “not to go over him”.
Martin was asked why she extended Astill’s position as chief corrections officer.
“I can’t defend that decision and I am not going to try,” she said.
The commissioner, Peter McClellan, asked Martin: “Wasn’t it obvious to you that keeping a person such as Mr Astill about whom multiple complaints have been made in the position of seniority, sometimes sole authority, in the jail was the wrong thing to do?”
Martin replied: “Why I extended his secondment, I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know.”
Despite extending the position, she insisted that she cared about the situation and trusted the investigations branch of Corrections NSW to deal with the issue, saying she had repeatedly written reports about him.
Martin said what happened to the women was a “disastrous outcome”.
Martin rejected evidence given by a previous witness – Witness B – that she called her a liar at two meetings in 2017 when she raised serious concerns about Astill, including that he had threatened to have her daughter raped and her parents killed.
Martin claimed Witness B had “fabricated” that she called her a “liar and a waste of time” when she told her inmates were being “inappropriately touched and people were being intimidated and people were afraid for their safety in relation to Astill”.
McClellan said it was “remarkable” for Martin to suggest that Witness B had fabricated her evidence given it was consistent with what was now known about Astill’s behaviour.
Martin was also questioned about evidence the inquiry heard previously by the centre’s chaplain who claimed that when she tried to speak with Martin after two inmates came forward about issues with Astil that Martin said she believed the women were “in cahoots”.
Martin said she could not remember that happening but agreed it would be a serious failure if that had.
The inquiry previously heard evidence from one of Astill’s victims, Trudy Sheiles, who said Martin displayed “no interest” in “Dillwynia and the girls in it” and “didn’t give a fuck” about any complaints they had.
A final report is due to be handed down in December.
The inquiry continues.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
