BOY, 15, TOOK FATAL OVERDOSE OF HEROIN

The Senior Deputy State Coroner, Mr John Abernethy, yesterday
recommended that the Department of Juvenile Justice be represented at
his inquest into the death of a 15-year-old boy who died of a heroin
overdose after being expelled from an institution in the Southern Highlands.

Mr Abernethy, inquiring into the death of Jai Thomas Lambley at St
Vincent's Hospital on February 11 last year, heard that the boy, who
had been convicted by Bidura Children's Court of attempted armed
robbery, was on conditional bail requiring him to stay at an
institution stipulated by the Department of Community Services.

Jai's behaviour at the institution, the Triple Care Farm run by
Mission Australia at Robertson, had been so bad that it was decided on
February 5 last year to expel him. A staff member, Mr Paul Ray, had
driven him to Moss Vale station and given him $10 for a ticket to
Campbelltown, where he was to report to the Department Community
Services office.

Instead, Jai travelled to Kings Cross and took an overdose which
proved fatal.

Mr Abernethy heard yesterday that the Department of Community Services
had been notified on February 6 that Jai had been expelled. But the
message had not gone to the department's Kings Cross Juvenile Service.

Mr Abernethy also heard that the boy had had a previous drug overdose,
but this and other information had not been passed to Mr Ray, who had
driven Jai to the station and had heard him say he was going to take a
shot of heroin and "do himself in".

After hearing extensive questioning of the Triple Farm manager, Mr
Warren Stanley Holt, Mr Abernethy said: "I am not convinced that the
farm has been adequately briefed by anyone."

He called lawyers into chambers and afterwards announced that Ms Kate
Guilfoyle, who had been representing DOCS at the inquest, would get
instructions from the Department of Juvenile Justice before today's
hearing.

Ms Toni Zevenhoven, senior district officer with DOCS, said the Kings
Cross Adolescent Service, whose job was to find homeless youths and
remove them from danger, had had a file on Jai, but had closed it when
it was known that he was on remand from January 27 last year.

She said the boy had been on heroin but only spasmodically. She said
that had the service known of the expulsion, it would have anticipated
his possible return to the Kings Cross area. But the service did not
know the boy had left Triple Care Farm until he overdosed.