Coroner urges against psychiatric patients sharing rooms following 2014 manslaughter

South Australia’s deputy coroner has recommended against dual occupancy rooms in psychiatric wards at public hospitals after one patient killed another while sharing a room at Noarlunga Hospital six years ago.

Stephen John Barton was killed by room-mate Lindon Luke Sekrst in August 2014.

Deputy coroner Anthony Schapel said that, “given the practice of dually accommodating patients”, there was a “certain inevitability” in such an incident occurring at some point in time.

“It was not so much a question of whether such an incident would occur and when, but to…