Questions raised after death of CTN sex worker in police cell
The Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) says the death of a sex worker in the cells at Mowbray Police Station has left many unanswered questions.
Robyn Montsumi (39) was detained at the police station in April following her arrest for possession of drugs.
SWEAT spokesperson Megan Lessing says Montsumi's friends and her life partner reported that she fell ill three days after her arrest.
"She said on Saturday that she felt ill and was vomiting. According to her friends she did not respond Sunday morning when they tried to call on her and when her partner got to the police station, there was an ambulance, and bystanders told him that it was Robyn inside and that she had hanged herself.”
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Lessing believes Montsumi should have been granted bail in line with the lockdown regulations.
Her death is being investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), although spokesperson Ndileka Cola says no arrests have been made.
"There is nobody who has been found responsible for the death as the woman is reported to have committed suicide and was alone in her cell when her body was found.”