For five days we have heard disturbing evidence of a young man's death in Dubbo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's two and a half years since Ricky Hampson Jnr died at a friend's home after being discharged from Dubbo Base Hospital and our journalist Allison Hore has been closely following the story.
The coronial inquest at Dubbo Courthouse started last Monday and since then we have published Allison's reporting on what has been said by the doctors and nurses, as well as family and friends of Mr Hampson Jnr.
Covering these stories means making some choices early on. Can we place one journalist into the courtroom to provide a story of the proceedings each day?
That's the first question I ask myself as an inquest like this inevitably takes the journalist away from reporting other news. That's the decision we have to make.
At the halfway point of the coroner's hearing it seems an easy decision, because of the importance of the story we have been able to bring to readers.
It started with the coverage of the first day, when a doctor and a nurse were both asked questions about what happened when Mr Hampson Jnr came to the local hospital seeking help in 2021.
Their testimony took us inside the emergency department to help learn what happened and what decisions were made.
More doctors on the second day of the inquest provided more details.
There was an apology to the family, but by the end of day three, Ricky Hampson Jnr's father spoke and said it had been difficult to listen to the "huge list of mistakes" that happened before his son died.
The story we published after Thursday's hearing was completed was, I believe, the most compelling of the week as indigenous doctor Jame McBride revealed his concerns about the emergency department's ability to treat indigenous patients.
On Saturday morning we published the emotional account from Mr Hampson Jnr's friend Marshall Peachey who explained what happened on the last day of his friend's life when he gave evidence on Friday.
The inquest continues for another week from Monday and we will continue to keep you informed.
Thanks for reading and have a good week.
Laurie Bullock
Editor, Daily Liberal
