Latest news with #MelanieTurner
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- News.com.au
Grim update after South Australian maximum security prisoner chewed off own finger
WARNING: Confronting details including self-harm A South Australian maximum security inmate has attempted to take his life behind bars less than a fortnight after it was revealed that he chewed off his own finger. Robert William Junior Barnes, 39, has spent more than 700 days isolated in G Division at Yatala Labour Prison — a place described by a former inmate as 'hell on earth'. exclusively revealed earlier this month that Barnes 'chewed off his pinky finger down to the knuckle'. The story cited two people who had spent time with Barnes in prison recently; Aboriginal elder Uncle Moogy Sumner and former Aboriginal Liaison Officer with SA Corrections Melanie Turner. Uncle Moogy told 'he chewed it right off'. The story led to a protest outside Yatala Labour Prison on Tuesday this week where advocates warned the status quo would lead to another Aboriginal death in custody. A text message sent by Barnes' sister on Tuesday this week, seen by reveals the Aboriginal inmate attempted suicide for what is reportedly at least the third time. 'Just got off the phone to Robbie and he cut into himself again,' Barnes' sister wrote to Ms Turner. 'He's being tormented (by) those correctional offices (sic). Robbie just said to me he needs to find something sharper, he doesn't wanna be in this world anymore. 'I tried to tell him to hang in there ... but my heart is just breaking.' The South Australian Department of Corrections is preventing Ms Turner and Uncle Moogy from visiting Barnes in G Division. Ms Turner resigned from her position after being prevented from visiting Barnes. In a letter to Corrections CEO David Brown, she wrote: 'I emailed my manager to request permission to enter G Division to meet with this prisoner, with whom I have established a good rapport, but I was denied.' 'This poor individual believes that (I have) abandoned him,' she wrote. Uncle Moogy told Barnes 'is in a bad way mentally' and was benefitting from his visits. 'He's got a lot of problems. If you're in jail, you're not there for being an angel,' Uncle Moogy said. 'But he's got problems because of how he was getting treated. 'I went up there to talk about culture, where he's from, the traditional ways. And I found out he's connected to my way, too,' he said. 'It was working out well. He enjoyed me going there, talking to him once a week. We're both connected to the Adnyamathanha people from the Flinders Ranges.' He was worried what Barnes would do after he stopped visiting. This week's suicide attempt has worried him further. A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections told on that Uncle Moogy 'is not banned from DCS sites, including Yatala Labour Prison'. But understands that does not include G Division where inmates are kept in solitary confinement. 'The Department continues to provide cultural and mental health support to identified prisoners in need across the system including at Yatala Labour Prison,' the spokesperson said. 'An offer to visit Yatala Labour Prison next week and meet with the Aboriginal Cultural Treatment Unit team, who support prisoners placed in the maximum-security unit, has also been extended to Major Sumner. 'The Department values the contribution Elders make to our prisons, including site visits. The safety of any visitor along with staff and prisoners is paramount when considering access, particularly to the state's high security prisons.' During a protest outside Yatala on Tuesday, advocates called for an end to 'human rights abuse' inside. 'Robert Barnes is being subjected to cruel and inhumane punishment, spending almost 800 days in solitary confinement,' a speaker said. 'Aboriginal prisoners are being denied cultural support when housed in solitary confinement.' They called for the General Manager of Yatala, Kit Wong, to 'be stood down immediately'. The crime that landed Barnes behind bars at G Division was a violent one that involved throwing a cup of urine in the face of a prison officer at Port Augusta prison in 2021. The Adelaide Advertiser reported last year that Barnes was jailed for over a decade after a brawl that left his victim in hospital suffering a fractured eye socket and requiring surgery. Less than a month while at the Adelaide Remand Centre, Barnes attempted to bite off his own finger before a corrections officer pinned his arms. Barnes punched him to the left side of his body and ear, causing it to bleed and yelled 'I'm going to f***ing bite your ear off'. He reportedly used a metal pipe from a vacuum cleaner to hit an officer over the head three times.
ABC News
16-07-2025
- ABC News
Elder's concerns for mental health of Indigenous man in high-security prison
An Aboriginal Elder says an Indigenous man is "suffering mentally and physically" inside South Australia's high-security prison, and is concerned that without intervention he could become "another death in custody". WARNING: This story contains reference to self-harm and suicide. About 70 people gathered outside Yatala Labour Prison, in Adelaide's northern suburbs, on Tuesday afternoon to protest what they described as the "cruel" and "inhumane" treatment of Indigenous man Robert William Junior Barnes. Barnes was sentenced last year to 11 years in prison for multiple offences, including assaulting a corrections worker. Former Aboriginal Liaison Officer Melanie Turner, who recently resigned, said she had been denied access to Barnes by the Department for Correctional Services (DCS). She said Ngarrindjeri Elder Uncle Major 'Moogy' Sumner had also not been allowed to visit Barnes, and so they could not provide cultural support to him. Ms Turner said Barnes had self-harmed while behind bars, and that when she had last seen him about a month ago "he wasn't doing good at all". "I've got a cultural obligation to the community to look after Robert Barnes as well, and if something had happened to him I would have felt devastated because I would have the community to explain to as well," she said. Mr Sumner said Barnes had spent "nearly 800 days" in a cell "no bigger than a bathroom" with "nothing in there for him for entertainment". "He's suffering mentally and physically," he said. Mr Sumner said he was concerned for Barnes's welfare if the situation did not change. In a statement, the Department for Correctional Services said it cannot comment on individual cases under the Correctional Services Act but it "continues to provide cultural and mental health support to identified prisoners in need across the system", including at Yatala. It also said that Mr Sumner was not banned from DCS sites, and that he was due to meet with the DCS chief executive this week. "The Department appreciates the cultural support Major Sumner continues to provide in prisons, including a visit to the Adelaide Remand Centre during NAIDOC Week last week," the statement said. It said an offer has also been made to Mr Sumner to visit Yatala next week and meet with the Aboriginal Cultural Treatment Unit team, who support prisoners in the maximum-security unit. "The Department values the contribution Elders make to our prisons, including site visits," the statement said. "The safety of any visitor along with staff and prisoners is paramount when considering access, particularly to the state's high security prisons."
News.com.au
06-07-2025
- News.com.au
South Australian maximum security inmate's grim act in isolation cell
WARNING: Confronting details including self-harm Within South Australia's only maximum security prison, the G Division is the most notorious. This section is subjected to the highest and strictest security because it is home to the state's worst criminals — serial killers and rapists and white supremacists spend time here. It has been labelled 'hell on earth' by a former prisoner. One current inmate — isolated in G Division for more than 700 days — has become so distraught that he has chewed off his own finger. Robert William Junior Barnes, 39, 'chewed off his pinky finger down to the knuckle', according to two people who spent time with him in prison recently. Aboriginal elder Uncle Moogy Sumner, who visited him in G Division, told 'he chewed it right off'. Aboriginal Liaison Officer Melanie Turner, who also spent time with Barnes in G Division, also confirmed the grim details to Both said Barnes is suffering greatly while being confined to his cell 23 hours a day with 'no TV and no entertainment' and has attempted to take his own life on multiple occasions. Compounding the problem, they say, is a recent decision by the South Australian Department of Corrections to ban both Uncle Moogy and Ms Turner from visiting the inmate again. 'He's got a lot of problems. If you're in jail, you're not there for being an angel,' Uncle Moogy said. 'But he's got problems because of how he was getting treated.' That treatment, according to Ms Turner, could lead to another Aboriginal death in custody. Ms Turner, who was employed by the Department of Corrections, has written a letter to David Brown, the Corrections CEO. In it, she expresses her 'deep disappointment and frustration' at being 'hindered in performing my role as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer at Yatala Labour Prison'. 'You may be aware of the recent ban on ALOs from accessing G Division, where prisoners are at their most vulnerable and require ALO intervention,' she wrote. 'This decision was made ... without consulting intervention staff, correctional officers or management. 'In the past few weeks, a long-term prisoner (Barnes) in G Division has self-harmed and attemped suicide twice. 'He pleaded ... to see me for ALO intervention. I emailed my manager to request permission to enter G Division to meet with this prisoner, with whom I have established a good rapport, but I was denied.' She says it was 'heartbreaking and soul-crushing' that she is unable to fulfill a role designed at preventing Aboriginal deaths in custody and that Barnes has not been told why she cannot visit him. 'This poor individual believes that his ALO support network has abandoned him,' she wrote. Uncle Moogy told Barnes 'is in a bad way mentally' and was benefitting from his visits. 'I went up there to talk about culture, where he's from, the traditional ways. And I found out he's connected to my way, too,' he said. 'It was working out well. He enjoyed me going there, talking to him once a week. We're both connected to the Adnyamathanha people from the Flinders Ranges.' He is worried what Barnes will do now that he's stop visiting. The crime that landed Barnes behind bars at G Division was a violent one that involved throwing a cup of urine in the face of a prison officer at Port Augusta prison in 2021. The Adelaide Advertiser reported last year that Barnes was jailed for over a decade after a brawl that left his victim in hospital suffering a fractured eye socket and requiring surgery. Less than a month while at the Adelaide Remand Centre, Barnes attempted to bite off his own finger, the Advertiser reported, before a corrections officer pinned his arms. Barnes punched him to the left side of his body and ear, causing it to bleed and yelled 'I'm going to f***ing bite your ear off'. He reportedly used a metal pipe from a vacuum cleaner to hit an officer over the head three times. Barnes pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including causing harm with intent and assaulting an emergency worker. At his sentencing, District Court Judge Paul Slattery said Barnes was at 'extreme risk' of becoming institutionalised. 'Unfortunately, the combination of your criminal history, ongoing struggles with mental health and propensity to violent behaviour reveals a high risk of recidivism,' he said. He will not be eligible for parole until at least 2027. 'If he (takes his own life), he doesn't get out then,' Uncle Moogy said. He, along with Ms Turner, organised a meeting with the South Australian Attorney General Kyam Maher last week. Uncle Moogy said he was determined to advocate for Ms Turner to 'get back to her job'. 'I think it'd be good if she went back. She's got that boy on her mind the whole time.' has approached the South Australian Department of Corrections for comment. In a statement, a spokesperson said 'cultural support from Aboriginal staff ... continues to be part of the multi-disciplinary service to Aboriginal prisoners placed in the maximum-security unit. 'Aboriginal Liaison Officers perform their duties across the prison based on guidance by the General Manager and senior Managers. Where appropriate, this service includes seeing prisoners in the maximum-security unit. 'DCS values the contribution Elders make to our prisons, including site visits.' The spokesperson said prison officials had 'been seeking a meeting with Uncle Moogy to discuss his concerns and to make sure he can continue his important work and support'. The Department did not respond to specific questions about Barnes' self-harming or his suicide attempts.
