Aborigine elder 'cooked' in Australian prison van

An Australian work safety watchdog brought charges over the death of an Aboriginal elder who activists say "cooked" to death in the back of a prison van en route to jail, officials said Thursday. This after government lawyers declined to lay charges over his 2008 death from heatstroke in the sweltering outback of Western Australia state.

The 46-year-old elder, known only Mr Ward, died in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) as he was driven four hours across the state to face a drink-driving charge in a van with broken air-conditioning.

Frustrated Aboriginal activists who monitor deaths in custody last year expressed anger that no-one had been charged after the indigenous elder was "cooked alive".

WorkSafe Western Australia brought four charges against the state prisons department, the transport company that operated the van and against the two drivers who were transporting the prisoner, a spokeswoman said.

The prisons department and the security company each face maximum penalties of A$400,000 (US$398,500), while the drivers each face a fine of up to A$20,000.

ORIGINAL SOURCE
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