NSW coroner ‘very troubled’ by health policy change after Stolen Generations member dies in custody

Yuin man Gregory Merriman did not have a chronic health screening before suffering a fatal heart attack in Silverwater prison in 2022

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A NSW coroner who investigated the death in custody of a member of the Stolen Generations has criticised plans to delay health screenings for Indigenous inmates, saying it could result in problems being missed.

Gregory Merriman, a 58-year-old Yuin man and direct descendant of revered Yuin leader Umbarra, died at Silverwater’s Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre (MRRC) in Sydney’s western suburbs in December 2022.

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