The post mortem of the young man who died in police custody last month is yet to be sent back from Australia.
Police Commissioner at the weekly police conference yesterday told the media that they are still waiting for the results of the post mortem.
He said investigations are still ongoing and they are waiting for the results.
He said he cannot give a date as to when the result will be available as it is a matter for the pathologists.
“The post mortem is independent off the police and so it is a matter for the medical examiner.
“So we will wait for the report to be finalised and then we will prepare a brief.”
Mr Prendergast said the doctor who did the post mortem would need to consider the result and make his findings.
“And so until that happens, we cannot finalise the investigations yet.”
He said as previously promised, once they get that result, a brief will be prepared for the hearing under the Death and Fire Inquiry Act.
Section 4 of this Act under the heading Death in Prison reads, “an inquiry shall be held by a Magistrate into the cause of all deaths in Solomon Islands of all persons confined in any prison or other place of lawful detention.”
The police chief further explained that the Death and Fire Inquiry Act is really for the court to look into circumstances around which in this case is a death.
“They will hold an open inquiry and the magistrate can inquire into what was the cause and circumstances of the death so in normal event police are required to submit a brief of evidence or report.
“People can be called into that hearing to answer questions.
“It is an independent inquiry of the police.
“That Act has been in existence for a long time and it seems to fall into a bit of issues but there is an intention to revive it.
He said the Act enables a magistrate to hold an inquiry, and the process so everyone understands is we will conduct our own investigations, submit a brief including the post mortem material to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who then work with the court to have a hearing conducted.
Samples of a first post mortem done on the young deceased here were sent to Australia to verify certain aspects of the results.
The deceased died in custody last month at the Central Watch House while being held under a warrant of arrest.
He died three days after his arrest.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
