Notorious crooked cop Roger Rogerson died after suffering a major stroke while bedridden and receiving “end-of-life care”, an inquest has confirmed.
The 83-year-old had been serving a life sentence in the aged care unit of Long Bay jail, for the execution-style murder of drug dealer Jamie Gao in 2014.
Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan told an inquest today there was no “great controversy” regarding Rogerson’s death and its circumstances.
“Mr Rogerson was a member of the NSW Police Force for many, many years and did have a notorious career for alleged involvement in numerous offences,” she said.
“He was not a young man when he went into custody.
“I am satisfied that Mr Rogerson received timely and appropriate care.”
It is mandatory for an inquest to be held when any inmate dies while in custody.
In the months before his death, Rogerson’s physical and mental health were in steady decline, the inquest was told.
Counsel assisting Matthew McAuliffe said Rogerson was bedridden upon his transfer to the jail’s aged care unit on June 9, 2023 and remained so for the seven months leading up to his death.
“It was from this time his cognitive decline hastened,” McAuliffe said.
On January 18, prison staff noted Rogerson was “drowsy, unable to obey directions, unable to feed himself and was lapsing in and out of consciousness” and he was transferred to hospital.
The following day, with his condition still in decline, it was determined medically appropriate to transition Rogerson to “comfort measures”, the inquest was told.
Rogerson was declared dead at 11.14pm on January 21, with a subsequent post mortem confirming the cause of death to be a stroke.
The inquest was told Rogerson’s family held no concern as to the care and treatment he received in custody.
Rogerson lost a series of appeals for his murder conviction, including a 2023 High Court ruling that ensured he would die in jail for the crime.
Rogerson always claimed he was innocent and had no idea of a plan by fellow crooked former detective Glen McNamara to murder the 20-year-old.
Gao was lured to a darkened storage shed in the city’s south and shot dead before the former police officers attempted to cover their tracks by dumping his body at sea.
McNamara has also been jailed for life over the murder.
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