Paramedic tells of ‘worst beating’ he has seen
File image. © Andrew Bardwell
A St John Ambulance paramedic described a nightmare visit to Christchurch Men’s Prison to attend an inmate who had received the bashing that would lead to his death in hospital five days later.
Apart from the cell where Benton Marni Parata, 44, lay curled on the floor, the rest of Rawhiti wing was locked down with the prisoners in their cells when the ambulance team arrived.
“There was a lot of howling and screaming and yelling and doors banging,” said paramedic Kerry Mitchell. “It was quite a scary place to be.”
He found several prison staff in the cell with Parata and immediately saw he had “injuries commensurate with blunt force trauma to the face”.
He told the jury on the second day of the trial in the High Court at Christchurch: “It was the worst beating I have ever seen in my career.”
The Crown will call about 40 witnesses at the two-week trial in the High Court at Christchurch of Steven Betham, 37, Levi Hohepa Reuben, 21, and Akuhatua Tihi, 23, who are jointly charged with the murder of Parata, 44. All deny the charge but Tihi’s defence counsel Phil Shamy has told the trial his client admitted assaulting Parata and would admit a manslaughter charge.
The ambulance team was brought straight to the cell when it arrived at the prison about 10.45am on March 25, 2015. Mr Mitchell said: “I found a male patient on his side, curled up into a ball. There were significant amounts of blood on the floor and wall and a number of obvious injuries, contusions to his face.”
Parata was able to speak a few words and complained of pain in his head, face, neck, and abdomen. He was confused and his blood pressure was low – “something we would expect in a head injury situation or bleeding”.
Staff said Parata had earlier been vomiting fresh blood which indicated a gastric bleed, through either damage to the stomach or aesophagus. He was pale and sweating, indicating the first stages of true medical shock.
Once they got Parata to the ambulance, the paramedic called for another ambulance so that another officer could drive and both paramedics could attend to the patient on the journey.
Mr Mitchell apologised to members of Parata’s family who were present in court for the trial, before describing further symptoms that developed. Parata had gone rigid and his arms and legs began shaking.
“It became obvious he was suffering from traumatic brain injury.” His posture was indicative “that there is serious damage going on at a cerebral level”.
The paramedics called for further help, probably as the ambulance travelled along Yaldhurst Road, and tried to get an airway tube in place. That did not succeed, so they then tried to get a nasal tube in place. It was not successful either. It had been evident that Parata’s nose was broken because it was flattened.
Another medic joined them who was qualified to place Parata into a medically induced coma, which was successfully done and they were then able to check that he was being successfully oxygenated through a tube which had been put in place.
He was then handed over to doctors at Christchurch Hospital, which had prepared for his arrival.
Parata died in hospital on March 30.
The trial before Justice Gerald Nation is continuing.
Category: News
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