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Inquest called into La Ronge inmate death

Mar 20, 2017 | 9:55 AM

A public inquest will be held into the death of a prisoner who died at the La Ronge RCMP detachment. 

At roughly midnight on May 31, 2015, Desmond Roberts was found unresponsive in his cell. The 43-year-old was taken to hospital in La Ronge, then transferred to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon where he eventually died.

An inquest is typically conducted when a person dies while an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility, unless the coroner is satisfied that the death was due entirely to natural causes and was not preventable. The purpose of an inquest is to establish who died, when and where that person died and the medical cause and manner of death. The coroner’s jury can also make recommendations to prevent further deaths.

The inquest into the death of Desmond Roberts will be held April 3 through 7 at the La Ronge Court House.