Pilgrim pesterer found dead in prison
27-year-old French man has died in a jail cell after being arrested during the peak of the celebrations for World Youth Day.
A spokesman for the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services said the man was found dead in a cell inside the Silverwater Remand Centre at 9.45am (AEST) this morning, but would not make any further comment, The Daily Telegraph reported.
A spokesman for the French Consulate told The Sydney Morning Herald that the man was not a World Youth Day pilgrim.
The consular spokesman identified the man as Herve Youdem, 27, who had arrived to Australia on June 18 as a tourist.
He did not want consular assistance after his arrest and appeared to have pyschiatric issues.
Youdem had been arrested for offensive behaviour during an altercation with a pilgrim at the World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney last week, the spokesman said, and charged with wilful obscene exposure and resisting arrest.
It is believed that the man was taken into custody on Friday and had been transferred to Silverwater from Surry Hills police station.
The reason for the man’s death remains a mystery.
A World Youth Day spokesman said organisers were working with police to establish whether the man was a pilgrim at the week-long Catholic event, which ended yesterday.
“I’m waiting on a police report at this stage. When I get a report I’ll be able to check it against our database,” he said.
“But it may not be a pilgrim.”
Police are scheduled to give a press conference soon
