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June 15th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda The treatment of an Aboriginal man who died while in police custody in Alice Springs was inadequate, an inquest has heard.
The inquest into the death of Terence Briscoe, 27, who died on January 5 while in police custody, on Friday heard from Dr Morris O’Dell, a forensic physician based in Melbourne.
Dr O’Dell, an expert on the medical care of prisoners, said in a report that Mr Briscoe’s situation was an evolving medical emergency that went unrecognised.
“A timely response may have have prevented his death,” part of the report read out at the inquest said.
He told the court the care of Mr Briscoe was inadequate and police should have called an ambulance to look after the prisoner, who was very drunk, had a cut above his eye and was not fully conscious.
“I don’t think it was care that would be expected of police that work in that environment,” Dr O’Dell said.
“I think police who work in that environment should have enough knowledge to know when a person is in danger.”
Mr Briscoe’s death caused an outcry earlier this year after two men arrested with him said they saw police roughing him up while he was in custody.
Mr Briscoe, an Anmatyerre man, had been arrested for drunkenness and was found dead in his cell several hours after he was taken into custody.
On Thursday the inquest in Alice Springs heard from prisoners near where Mr Briscoe was being held who said they attempted unsuccessfully to have police check on him, because Mr Briscoe was making a choking sound.
One prisoner said he told a female police officer Mr Briscoe needed to go to hospital.
“She turned around to me and said, `That is what you get when you don’t listen to us, when you don’t listen to the officer. He deserved it,'” the prisoner said.
Another prisoner described how a buzzer in the cell was used to tell police to check on Mr Briscoe, but was ignored.
Coroner Greg Cavanagh told the court on Friday that it seemed that acute alcohol toxicity combined with respiratory problems caused by Mr Briscoe’s position along with other factors may have played a role in the death.
At the time of his death, Mr Briscoe had a blood alcohol reading of 0.35 per cent, which the court heard was at the lower limit of what could be fatal.
All of the 10 police officers who had dealings with Mr Briscoe were cautioned, but none were demoted or dismissed.
Police are expected to give evidence to the inquest on Monday.
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