Officer who cleaned up inmates urine says termination was unfair

Michael Ronald Eade, a 58 year-old man was suspended from his job for an incident in August 2020.

The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard an inmate had urinated on the floor of the Launceston Reception Prison and Eades had used the inmates' clothing which had been placed in a plastic bag to mop up the spill.

Eade's defence lawyer said the actions of his client were beyond reasonable doubt, however, the case was about whether the breach of code constituted a valid reason for termination, and described the termination as "unfair".

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Giving evidence, Eade outlined his association with the LRP and said he had been working there for 16 years prior to his suspension.

On the day of the offence, Eade said the inmate had been brought in and was acting in an aggressive manner and was trying to harm himself.

"He was aggressive from the word go. I assisted him into the cell and he was stripped. He was yelling non-stop, calling me a 'dog c--t' and harping on about my mother. I had just recently lost my mother-in-law," he said.

While working, Eade said he had received a call from the control room to clean up a spill on the prison floor after the inmate had urinated on the ground.

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He said he thought about using a bucket and a mop, but instead opted to use paper towels, but was unable to find any to clean up the mess.

Eade said he knew cleaning up the urine with the inmates clothes was not the right thing to do, but it was a spare of the moment thing. The Tribunal heard that Eade did not know the spill was urine, but accepted his actions were wrong.

The Department of Justice suggested Eade's actions were deliberate and premeditated. Eade denied the suggestions.

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A number of witnesses gave evidence in the tribunal and said they were shocked about the actions Eade had undertaken, but said his offence did not warrant termination.

An officer who had been at LRP for 14 years said Eade interacted with detainees "very well" and was a "role model".

A separate witness said he was shocked at Eade's conduct, but said Eade had been under a lot of duress. "I can only assume it's a one off. He is usually the one advocating for the inmates," he said.

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