Inquest to probe how Audrey Griffin's accused killer obtained razor before prison suicide
An inquest into the prison cell suicide of Audrey Griffin's accused killer will examine how he obtained a razor blade to take his own life.
Ms Griffin's family will no longer be able to seek justice in a courtroom after the death of Adrian Torrens, 53, who was charged with the murder of the popular teenager after she left a NSW Central Coast pub on March 22 following a night out.
Torrens was arrested a month later off the back of a tip-off to police and was initially placed into a solitary high-risk cell at Silverwater prison, where he was assessed by corrections staff and counsellors.
He was then moved to a two-person cell on April 24 after those discussions and was dead hours later.
It's understood Torrens had asked to borrow a razor from his cellmate so he could shave for court the next day, despite that being the Anzac Day public holiday when courts are closed.
Daily Mail Australia understands he used the razor blade in an attempt to take his own life.
Prison staff found him unresponsive at 4.50pm and immediately called paramedics, but prison sources say it took 40 minutes for them to arrive.
A prison source has questioned whether Torrens may have survived his suicide attempt if the ambulance had arrived sooner - raising questions about a missed opportunity for justice and closure for Ms Griffin's grieving family.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by prison staff or NSW Ambulance, however, the death will be investigated by police for the coroner as part of a public inquest.
Before his death, Torrens had a string of apprehended violence orders against him going back to 2014 and had left multiple threatening messages on the phone of his estranged partner on the day he allegedly murdered Ms Griffin, who he did not know.
NSW Chief Magistrate Judge Michael Allen spared Torrens jail time when he pleaded guilty to domestic violence offending - instead imposing an 18-month community correction order.
He had pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend and contravening a domestic AVO in relation to his ex-partner.
Torrens also had multiple listings before both Gosford Local Court and the Downing Centre for AVOs taken out to protect a woman believed to be his estranged wife.
Torrens had 11 other charges against him when he was charged with murder.
These included two counts of knowingly contravene an AVO for the third time in 28 days, knowingly contravene an AVO prohibition and eight charges of contravening an AVO.
Torrens also had AVOs taken out against him by two different women, in 2018 and in 2014.
As part of the 18-month order he was given earlier this year, he was required to regularly report to a community corrections office, which he had not done on multiple occasions.
Two weeks after Ms Griffin's death he reportedly appeared 'distressed' at one of these meetings, which he put down to his relationship breakdown and his mother being ill.
Torrens is from Sydney but his estranged ex Michelle lives on the Central Coast with her two children.
She told Daily Mail Australia she reconnected with Torrens decades after they met at school and had been with him for two years before they separated in September.
Michelle then tried to block him out of her life.
But in the hours leading up to Audrey's murder and after, he bombarded her with a string of chilling threats.
'He rang me 12 times and because he was blocked, I was receiving them as text messages,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'He started calling from 7pm and the last phone call was at 12.10am on the night he killed her.
'He kept threatening to kill my son and I… my children are completely traumatised.'
A distraught Michelle said both she and Audrey had been let down by the legal system.
She also revealed she and her family had been living in fear for several months.
'My heart goes out to Audrey's family,' she said.
'I do feel let down by the police and the judge, on the first night of the AVO, the very first AVO, the police took four hours to come here to do a welfare check.
'When he breached his AVO [that was taken out] to protect me, they took five months to find him.
'I lived in fear he would carry out one of his threats.'
Police earlier this month appealed to the public for new information as they released a CCTV screenshot of Torrens walking near a Gosford pub on the night Ms Griffin died.
They had the footage for weeks but did not realise its significance until an associate of Torrens tipped them off that he had confessed to them he killed her.
Audrey was preparing to begin a ten-week officer training course in April with the Royal Australian Navy.
She had visited the Central Coast - where she grew up - to see her grandparents and invite her friends to a farewell party in Sydney the next weekend.
Detectives believe Torrens followed Ms Griffin, whom he didn't know, from the pub before assaulting her.
Police said Torrens' DNA was found under Griffin's fingernails and that a witness heard a high-pitched scream in the area around 3am.
He was later arrested and charged with Griffin's murder after he was identified from the CCTV footage.
Audrey was a much-loved member of the Terrigal Sharks rugby league and local lifesaving clubs.
After completing her HSC in 2023, Ms Griffin juggled training and a part-time job at Crown Plaza Terrigal along with study commitments at University of Technology Sydney.
Just weeks before her death, she had competed in the New Zealand half-ironman.
Audrey was also a former member of the Gosford Water Polo ladies team.
'Audrey touched everyone, not just in her community but all over the country. She was the light in many of our lives,' a family statement on a GoFundMe read.
'There is no doubt she brought endless laughter and joy to everyone.
'She was the kindest soul to walk this earth and will always be in our hearts.'
Ms Griffin was also a dedicated member of the Terrigal Wamberal Sharks rugby league club, having played junior and senior football.
'With a larger-than-life personality, and happy-go-lucky nature, Audrey would hit with sting then check that they were OK, and then skip to each of the scrums,' the club said in a social media tribute to her.
'Audrey will be sorely missed by the Sharks family, may she rest in peace.'
On Thursday evening, more than 1,000 people gathered on a NSW beach to honour Audrey just hours after her killer was found dead in his jail cell.
Her mother, Kathleen Kirby, shared a heartbreaking post hours before the crowd, dressed in white, flocked to Terrigal Beach on the Central Coast at dusk.
'Let's focus today on unity, remembrance, and the love we all share for Audrey,' Ms Kirby said.
'It's about standing together, remembering her light, and showing — through our presence — that we want change, awareness, and a safer future for everyone.'
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