The mother of a man who killed himself in a cell at the Alexander Maconochie Centre has talked of her anger and her grief. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading $ 0 / $ NaN /year All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue "Our beautiful baby boy Luke was only 27 years young when this horrific, life-changing incident was allowed to happen," Karen Reid told The Canberra Times .
She was speaking after an inquest into the death of her son Luke Rich at the ACT's prison. The coroner detailed serious flaws in the door of his cell - fatal flaws which the ACT government had been warned about. A separate "critical incident" report after the death on February 1, 2022 found that the ACT government had not made the "urgent" changes "due to budget constraints".
"Luke was placed in a cell, left all alone for hours on end and without an opportunity to call me. He was left to his own thoughts and pain and given the tools needed to do the job of ending his life," his mother said. The Alexander Maconochie Centre where Luke Rich, inset, died.
Pictures by Karleen Minney, supplied "I have wanted to put Luke back in my womb. A place where he was totally protected by me and from the world and all its sin." She thanked coroner Ken Archer and the lawyers from Ken Cush and Associates for t.