The family of Birri Gubba woman, Aunty Sherry Tilberoo-Fisher, who died in a Queensland watch house in 2020, say they will not accept the circumstances of her death and will keep fighting for answers.
A joint inquest into her death and the death of Croatian woman, Vlasta Wylucki, commenced this week at the Brisbane Magistrate Court.
The inquest is investigating the adequacy of checks and procedures in watch houses and the appropriateness of communication with Aunty Sherry’s family after her death.
“It is impossible to convey the pain and grief of her loss for her three children and grandchildren, sisters and brothers, nephews and nieces, extended family members,” Aunty Sherry’s sister Aunty Davina Tilberoo-Fisher said in a statement before the coroner.
Aunty Davina and Aunty Kathy Fisher-Tilberoo stood hand in hand as they delivered a heartfelt statement before the coroner on Tuesday. Credit: NITV: Tanisha Williams
"When are our people going to stop dying in these prisons. When are they going to be accountable for their actions."
Aunty Sherry was found unresponsive in her cell at 6am on September 10th in 2020, hours after her last known movement at midnight and four days following her arrest over drug and property matters.
The Birri Gubba woman died from natural causes but there are concerns about the care and supervision provided in the watch house.
“We all believe she should be with us today,” Aunty Davina said.
“There was nothing inevitable about her death, there is nothing acceptable about her death. We ensure that what Sherry was forced to endure never happens again to anyone’s mother, grandmother, sister or daughter, granddaughter and extended families - that this never happens to any other human being again."
Brisbane City watch house officers who were responsible for performing regular checks on Aunty Sherry in the days leading up to her death. Credit: NITV: Tanisha Williams
The court on Tuesday heard evidence from a neurologist who examined the medical reports following Aunty Sherry’s passing and Brisbane City watch house officers who booked her in to the watch house and were responsible for the regular checks.
The neurologist said there was there was “nothing that could have been done” about the aneurysm she suffered with no evidence of previous bleeding to brain, while several watch house officers did not recall their encounters with Aunty Sherry while she was in the watch house.
In the months following Aunty Sherry’s death hundreds of protesters marched the street of Brisbane on several occasions, calling for an end to Indigenous deaths in custody.
Community march through the streets of Brisbane in the months following the death in custody of Aunty Sherry Tilberoo-Fisher. Credit: Douglas Smith
“It's about accountability amongst the QPS (Queensland Police Service) and the government as a whole.
“There have been 520-odd black deaths in custody since the 1991 into Aboriginal black deaths in custody. That's a lot black coffins that have been lowed into the ground, that's a lot of families affected personally … how we're going to change the system, the system within itself has got to change. We can’t even talk about racism in there.”
“We’ll get through this process and it’s going to be emotional, it’s going to be draining for us but we are strong as a peoples and we’re not going anywhere."
