THE pre-trial hearing for the man accused of the Claremont serial killings, Bradley Robert Edwards, is adjourned until further notice after the accused was admitted to hospital.
Mr Edwards sustained injuries to his ear in prison.
A St John Ambulance spokesperson said they had transferred a 50-year-old patient from Hakea Prison to hospital with ear injuries under normal road speed.
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READ NOWPencil found in Hakea prison shower block
A pencil may have been used in a prison shower attack on the accused Claremont serial killer, who was taken to a Perth hospital with a non-life-threatening injury to his right ear.
Corrective Services Commissioner Tony Hassall said Bradley Robert Edwards was found alone by a Hakea Prison guard at 7.55am on Monday in the shower block and a pencil was located nearby.
Mr Hassall said authorities were yet to determine whether the injury was self-inflicted or if Mr Edwards had been attacked by another inmate.
“He was refusing to speak to prison officers,” Mr Hassell told reporters.
A police investigation is underway to determine what happened and the 22-inmate unit is in lockdown.
Edwards injuries “relatively minor”
Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan said Mr Edwards was in a protective area at the time and the injury was relatively minor.
“It occurred in the shower and it occurred about 20 minutes after the prisoners were unlocked,” he told reporters.
Armed guards at Fiona Stanley Hospital accompanied ambulance officers as they took a handcuffed Mr Edwards out on a stretcher.
Mr Edwards had a bandage on his right ear but otherwise appeared calm.
Attorney-General John Quigley said violence within prisons was never acceptable and he wanted Mr Edwards to be “in good health to face justice without delay”.
“All of the victims’ parents would be distraught if this trial was in any way delayed because of assaults within the prison system,” he told reporters.
Directions hearing supposed to last three days
The directions hearing was supposed to last just three days but was adjourned last Thursday after prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo requested an adjournment.
This hearing would discuss whether ‘propensity evidence’ could be used in the upcoming trial as well as other matters.
There was a packed public gallery this morning waiting to hear the outcome.
It’s not certain when Mr Edwards will be fit to reappear in court.