MEDIA RELEASE
5 May 2026
Aboriginal man Gregory Merriman passed away from myocardial infarction at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (MRRC) in Silverwater on 27 December 2022 at 58 years old.
Gregory was a beloved son, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. He was a man of proud Yuin ancestry born on Gadigal land and had a deep connection to the 29 tribes of the Eora Nation. Having been removed from his family under the now repealed Aborigines Protection Act, Gregory and his siblings spent much of their childhood battling through the out-of-home care system.
The inquest, which began in September last year, has heard that Gregory Merriman had a heart attack and died alone in his cell after capsicum spray was deployed by Corrective Services officers in his prison wing to stop a fight that he was not a part of.
The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS) represented Gregory’s daughter Shannon Merriman in the inquest. The ALS made submissions calling for Corrective Services to undertake a review of its systems and make a number of urgent changes to guard against a repeat of this tragedy.
Gregory is one of more than 600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died in custody and police incidents since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. This death toll hit record highs last year both nationally and in NSW – a horrifying reality that is only fuelled by the escalating and wildly disproportionate rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being locked up.
Above: Gregory Merriman
