An Aboriginal woman who died in Hunter police custody had two pill bottles containing a total of more than 30 benzodiazepine tablets in the cell with her when she passed away from "mixed drug toxicity", a court has heard.
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The two-week inquest into the death of Rebecca Lyn Maher is expected to hear evidence from a medical expert that the 36-year-old's death could have been prevented if she was adequately assessed and given medical treatment.
Ms Maher was found dead at Maitland police station just before 6am on July 19, 2016.
She had been detained after being found intoxicated and walking in the middle of Wollombi Road at Cessnock in the early hours of that morning. She was placed in a cell just before 1.30am.
Deputy state coroner Teresa O'Sullivan began an inquest into the death of the Wiradjuri woman, who was the first Aboriginal person in NSW to die in police custody in 16 years at the time, in Newcastle on Monday.
Ms O'Sullivan told Ms Maher's family - her mother, son and other family members and supporters were sitting in the public gallery - she was sorry to have to gather "under such sad circumstances" and that she hoped the inquest would give them answers.
In an opening address, counsel assisting the coroner David Buchanan outlined the issues and evidence expected to be raised during the coming fortnight.
The court heard of Ms Maher's history with drugs - that she had battled addiction to opiates and was a regular client of Newcastle's methadone clinic - as well as her previous encounters with the law - when she died, she was on bail for alleged theft.
Related reading: Woman found dead at Maitland police station
Mr Buchanan told the court Ms Maher was not searched before getting into the police van at Cessnock when she was detained nor prior to entering the cell at Maitland police station.
He said two pill bottles were found inside Ms Maher's pants after her death, containing a total of 28 whole and two half tablets of alprazolam, also known as Xanax, as well as three tablets of clonazepam, known commonly as Klonopin.
One of the bottles had been legally dispensed to Ms Maher.
The court heard that an autopsy performed by forensic pathologist Dr Brian Beer found Ms Maher died of "mixed drug toxicity".
Mr Buchanan said there would be "expert evidence that the levels found in Rebecca of alprazolam and methadone were in both toxic and potentially fatal levels for each of those two drugs".
Though he said there would be mixed evidence from medical experts as to whether the level of methadone in Ms Maher's blood was lethal.
"They are both central nervous system depressants and, taken together, can induce drowsiness, loss of consciousness, respiratory arrest, airway obstruction and death," he said.
Mr Buchanan said police watched Ms Maher on CCTV and during seven observations from the corridor outside the cell during the course of the morning.
But he said no-one attempted to wake and assess Ms Maher, which was required every 30 minutes for an intoxicated detainee under the NSW Police Code of Practice for Custody, Rights, Investigation, Management and Evidence.
Mr Buchanan foreshadowed a report to be tabled for the court by emergency medicine expert Dr Vinen, which said adequate assessment of Ms Maher would have required close contact.
"In his report, Dr Vinen expresses the opinion that, if adequately assessed while she was in the cell, Rebecca would have survived if paramedics had been called and she had been transported to hospital," he said.
The court also heard that Ms Maher's mother was informed of her daughter's death about six hours after her body was discovered and that the officers who delivered the news were more junior than regulations required.
The inquest is expected to hear evidence from police officers, medical professionals and the person Ms Maher was with at the time she was detained - the Newcastle Herald cannot identify this person for legal reasons.
The inquest will continue on Tuesday.
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