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How ‘five dirty dogs’ mistreated a vulnerable inmate for his dragon ring and pretty trainers — before trying to make it look like a ‘friendly talk’ for CCTV
- Mark Pollard, 48, died after being beaten and robbed in Port Phillip prison
- He suffered broken ribs, a fractured sternum and a punctured lung during an attack
- But forensic evidence found that a pre-existing bowel disease caused his death
- Four attackers were only charged with theft and one was dropped
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A treacherous offer of friendship by five ‘dirty dogs’ provoked a vulnerable inmate to be brutally beaten and heartlessly robbed before dying, a court has told.
Mark Pollard, 48, died in hospital after a brutal attack from behind by five inmates who were offered a puff of their cigarette at Port Phillip prison, west Melbourne, in February 2020.
Although Pollard was found to have broken ribs, a fractured sternum and a punctured lung, a court later ruled that a pre-existing bowel condition caused his death.
Four of the five attackers, Abdulkadir Ali, Kiuna Leveni, Ibrahim and Salah Abukar – who then made him shake hands – were eventually charged with robbery, but nothing more.
Mark Pollard, 48, died in hospital after a violent attack from behind by five inmates at Port Phillip prison, west Melbourne in February 2020
During the robbery and attack, Pollard’s Adidas Aerobounce trainers were stolen
Charges against a fifth man were dropped, the police said Herald-Sun.
Pollard agreed to join the men when they offered to share a cigarette with him in cell 306.
But the ailing Pollard, who had a serious bowel condition, was brutally beaten and robbed and had a pair of socks in his mouth to suppress his cries for help.
When he stumbled out six minutes later, his gold ring in the shape of a dragon, with rubies for eyes, and his smart Adidas Aerobounce sneakers had been taken.
Pollard, now wearing standard prison black Velcro sneakers, cringed and held his side.
But he was also forced to put on a show by shaking hands with one of his attackers, Justin Ibrahim, to make it look like they’d had a friendly chat.
Although Pollard was found to have broken ribs, a fractured sternum and a punctured lung after the attack at the Port Phillip prison, a court later ruled that a pre-existing bowel condition caused his death.
But within hours Pollard’s condition deteriorated so much that an ambulance was called and he was hospitalized.
Pollard’s examination revealed a golf ball-sized bump on his head and a “deformed rib cavity.”
He told hospital staff that he had been kicked, beaten and kneeled in the head and torso.
Pollard claimed that one man even held his head to the ground with his foot while the other four hit him.
He died in hospital three days later.
Five inmates were initially charged with murder, but the case fell apart.
Abukar’s lawyer, Patrick Doyle, told the court that Pollard was already very ill.
He had suffered from vomiting, rectal bleeding and abdominal pain before the bashing and had been hospitalized several times.
Five inmates were initially charged with murder, but the case fell apart
Magistrate Andrew McKenna ruled that the men should not appear in court on charges of murder or manslaughter.
He found that a properly instructed jury would not be able to convict the accused men because it could not be established that Pollard’s death was caused by bashing.
Forensic evidence showed that an artery to Pollard’s abdomen became blocked and the blood supply to his gut was cut off, causing toxins to leak into his body.
The medical evidence showed he died when that poisoned him.