Inquest into the death of Jason David WIMBRIDGE
Delivered on: 26 October 2026
Delivered at: Perth
Finding of: Coroner Nelson
Recommendations: N/A
Orders/Rules: N/A
Suppression Order: N/A
Summary:
Jason David Wimbridge was remanded at Hakea Prison on 1 May 2025. Following intake processes during which he disclosed recent self-harm and previous suicide attempts, he was managed as a moderate risk under the At-Risk Management Systems (ARMS) and placed under CCTV monitoring in the Crisis Care Unit. The following day, on the basis of a security assessment, a recommendation was made that Jason be transferred to Causarina Prison, which was a transfer Jason had sought. Jason was reviewed by a prison counsellor for the purposes of a Prison Risk Assessment Group (PRAG) meeting, with PRAG maintaining his status as moderate risk under ARMS, and determining that he was suitable for placement in a standard cell. He was moved to a fully ligature-minimised cell in the Multi-Purpose Unit (MPU).
In the evening of 3 May 2025 during an ARMS welfare check, Jason was found unresponsive in his cell, having hanged himself by a television cord. Custodial and medical staff responded immediately, before Jason was transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital by ambulance, where it was identified he had suffered hypoxic brain injury. He was extubated and died on 9 May 2025.
The Coroner found that the cause of Jason's death was complications following ligature compression of the neck, and that his death occurred by way of suicide. The Coroner found that Jason's supervision, treatment and care were adequate and complied with relevant policies, but that there were missed opportunities in communication between staff about his level of risk given his likely placement as a single occupant of a cell in the MPU, and to communicate either approval or progress of his transfer to Casuarina to him, given the significance of that prospect as a protective factor for Jason.
Catch Words: Death In Custody : Suicide
Last updated: 4 November 2026