One of three prisoners to have recently died in Tasmanian custody may have succumbed to an undiagnosed heart condition, an inquest has been told.
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An inquest into the deaths of Scott Clifford Mitchell, 23, South Australian man Robin Michael, 63, and North-West man Troy Monson, 42, began in Hobart on Wednesday morning.
In his opening remarks, counsel assisting the coroner Robert Webster said Monson and Michael both apparently took their own lives.
Monson was found dead in a prison van at Risdon after being transported from Launceston on June 22, while Michael took his own life in his cell on June 29.
Mr Webster said Mitchell, who was found in his cell on July 31, appeared to have died of a heart condition.
He said Mitchell was obese, and had recently complained to other inmates of chest pains, but had not sought medical attention.
Mr Webster said the time it had taken correctional officers to call an ambulance after Monson was discovered would be examined during the inquest.
The inquest, before Coroner Simon Cooper, continues.
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