The stepdaughter of slain drug kingpin Carl Williams has filed a civil suit against the Victorian government alleging that it failed to ensure her father’s safety in prison after he agreed to be a police witness.
Lawyers for Breanane Stephens, 30, claim Corrections Victoria approved the transfer of a fellow inmate to Williams’ cell in a high security unit of Barwon Prison despite knowing he had a hatred of informants and had attacked other prisoners and staff.
Ms Stephens is one of two children Williams’ widow Roberta had with her previous partner. She is the stepsister of Dhakota Williams, Carl and Roberta’s only child.
Carl Williams, 39, was killed in prison in 2010 by inmate Matthew Johnson who used a metal bar from an exercise bike to inflict several blows to the back of his head.
A judge later found Williams had been killed because he was providing information to police about the 2004 murders of police informant Terance Hodson and his wife Christine in exchange for a reduction in his sentence.
In documents lodged in Victoria’s Supreme Court, Ms Stephens claims Johnson belonged to the Prisoners of War gang which were known to detest inmates who gave information to police, the Herald Sun reports.
The documents allege he had a history of previous assaults against fellow inmates and prison staff, and had used the same weapon he bludgeoned Williams with.
Email exchanges between Rod Wise and Penny Armytage – the then-acting commissioner of Corrections Victoria and then-secretary to the Department of Justice respectively – showed they supported the prisoner transfer despite having concerns about Williams’ safety.
Carl Williams’ daughter Dhakota Williams (right), and step-daughter Breanane Williams, arrive at the funeral for Carl’s father George Williams at Saint Therese’s Parish in Melbourne in 2016
Carl Williams (pictured in 20024) was serving multiple sentences in Barwon prison for the murders of four underworld figures when he was killed by a fellow inmate in 2010
In one email sent in 2009 Mr Wise said there was ‘little doubt Johnson is capable of causing Williams harm if he were to find out the nature of his co-operation with police’.
He said Johnson could attack Williams for ‘financial incentives’ or to ‘enhance his reputation’ and because any sentence for an attack would likely run ‘concurrently’ with his current one.
They supported the transfer on the condition Williams and Stephenson were heavily monitored.
Two months after the transfer was approved a prison officer reported to Corrections Victoria in March 2009 that ‘everyone knows [Williams] is co-operating with Victoria Police in exchange for a reduction in his sentence and other benefits’.
‘These views… may be a cause for concern to the safety of prisoner Williams and may be the cause of some sort of attempt to harm prisoner Williams or those around him,’ the report allegedly stated.
The following year in March 2010 it is alleged Johnson downloaded a version of Williams’ police witness statement regarding two men charged with Terance and Christine Hodson’s murders.
Johnson claimed he killed Williams in self-defence but this was disproved by CCTV and he is serving life behind bars.
Breanane Stephens (left with Dhakota Williams) is suing the Victorian government for failing to protect her stepfather Carl Williams in prison
Williams’ (pictured) biological daughter Dhakota has already received a confidential six-figure payout over his death
Ms Stephens alleges Corrections Victoria were negligent in their duty to ‘take reasonable steps for the safe custody and welfare’ of Williams and that a proper risk assessment of Johnson was not done.
Dhakota Williams has already received a confidential six-figure payout over her father’s death.
A spokesperson from the Department of Justice and Community Safety told the Herald Sun Williams death was ‘thoroughly investigated by a range of independent and review bodies, including the Ombudsman and the Office of Correctional Services Review.
‘The recommendations from these reviews were implemented… As this matter is currently before the court, it would be inappropriate to comment further.’
Lawyers for Ms Stephens said Corrections Victoria had failed to ‘ensure the proper management, security, and good order of the prison’ and their client had suffered loss and psychological injury.