Anthony James Georgiou, 31, might not have died in September 2016 if two Bunnings Warehouse security guards had not breached company policy by tackling him to the ground when he allegedly tried to steal a saw blade, the Victorian Coroner’s Court has found.
Georgiou was reportedly heard screaming “help me, help me, let me go” after being pinned to the floor by Bunnings’ Frankston store guards Abdul Brenzai and George Oyee.
At the time, the two contracted “loss prevention officers” were acting on suspicion that Georgiou was trying to steal a saw blade from the Frankston Bunnings store in Melbourne’s southeast.
Georgiou, allegedly became aggressive and the officers attempted to stop him from getting away, tackling him to the ground in a struggle and placing him in a headlock.
While detained, Georgiou screamed “help me, let me go,” before he lost consciousness.
According to Bunnings’ code of conduct at the time, loss prevention officers were never to physically restrain an offender except in self-defence.
He was taken to hospital where he died later in the day.
Coroner Darren Bracken found that the combination of Georgiou’s use of methamphetamine, his weight, pre-existing heart condition and his detainment by the Bunnings guards was fatal, The Age reported.
“There seems little doubt that had Mr Georgiou not been involved in the struggle with [the security personnel] he would have walked away from Bunnings that day,” Bracken said.
“Mr Georgiou’s death was a tragedy for his family as well as for all others involved.”
The court also found that both officers involved in the 2016 incident had not been adequately trained to deal with the situation or shown the Bunnings code of conduct.
Georgiou’s daughter and former partner are also pursuing a separate legal claim against the security officers, their employer (New Security Solutions) and Bunnings, maintaining they have suffered psychological injuries that will continue to require treatment.
“As the coroner has found, Mr Georgiou’s death was preventable and had it not been for the struggle that occurred with the untrained loss prevention officers working at Bunnings that day, he most likely would not have died in the hours that followed,” their lawyer, Neha Pratap said.
“No one should have to pay for a mistake they’ve made with their life.”
