A convicted rapist serving time at Hakea Prison in Western Australia is suing the state, claiming he is being subjected to "inhumane" conditions behind bars. Fernando Octavio Salas-Collard, 35, was jailed for raping a 16-year-old girl in a public toilet block at Coogee Beach in January 2024, and is one of several inmates pursuing legal action against the state, the Department of Justice and Hakea's superintendent over an alleged failure of duty of care.

Salas-Collard claims he was repeatedly confined to his cell between December 2022 and August 2026 with reduced access to services, and is seeking damages, interest and costs. He is joined in similar action by Arthur Lewis Ninyette, jailed for ten years over domestic and sexual violence, and Dylan Ross Sesar, jailed this year for theft and assault. The claims follow a watchdog report by Inspector of Custodial Services Eamon Ryan warning WA's prisons are nearing "functional collapse", with inmate numbers up 37 per cent since January 2023, up to 200 prisoners sleeping on floor mattresses, and conditions he said may amount to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment".