In June last year, a Whangārei man struggling with his mental health was allegedly beaten to death by his cellmate at Mt Eden prison. Rob Fitzpatrick’s alleged murder is one of three involving double-bunking at the jail in just over 12 months. His family members believe their loss could have been avoidable, had it not been for missteps by multiple government agencies. Michael Morrah reports.  The family of a Whangārei man is calling for resignations at Corrections after their much-loved brother and son was allegedly beaten to death by his cellmate.  They believe a multitude of failures by government agencies, including poor information-sharing between health services and Corrections, preceded the death of Rob Fitzpatrick on June 27 last year.  Fitzpatrick, 46, who had mental health difficulties, was double-bunked with another man, who also had mental health problems.  Fitzpatrick’s alleged attacker, who’s now charged with murder, was in jail for allegedly attacking another man near a Māngere bus stop, which left the victim in a critical condition in hospital.  The victim’s brother, Ross Fitzpatrick, said he wants to know why staff at Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) thought it was suitable to double-bunk his brother.  Rob Fitzpatrick, who had mental health difficulties, was killed on June 27 last year while at Auckland's Mt Eden Corrections Facility.  “You have to question the common sense of people who are in the offices at Mt Eden prison. We just want to know why those clowns ... signed off on this decision,” he told the Herald.  Corrections has a risk-assessment policy to determine who is suitable to be double-bunked, which includes considering a prisoner’s risk of violence towards others and their mental health status.  Ross Fitzpatrick wants answers over his brother Rob Fitzpatrick's death at Mt Eden Corrections Facility. Photo / Annaleise Shortland  Corrections has refused to say what the assessment for Fitzpatrick entailed or who signed off on the decision to put him in a shared cell.  Corrections custodial services commissioner Leigh Marsh said an investigation by the Corrections Inspectorate and coroner is underway.  “I want to assure Mr Fitzpatrick’s family that as soon as we can address their questions without compromising any active proceedings, we will offer them the opportunity to meet to talk through these in detail,” he told the Herald.  Marsh said the family “absolutely deserves answers” and he was committed to providing them when the time was right.  The family said the circumstances of Fitzpatrick’s death also raise questions about oversight by Corrections staff.  “He [Rob] was [allegedly] beaten to death, and we can’t understand how that can happen and how no one could get there before it was too late,” Ross Fitzpatrick said.  The Herald understands it was another inmate who raised the alarm with prison staff.  Fitzpatrick had been living with bipolar disorder.  He ended up in jail because he breached a non-contact order by texting a person he shouldn’t have, his family said.  The text message that landed him in Mt Eden prison, obtained by the Herald, said, “Hi [name redacted], coffee?”  It was signed off “Rob. F.” followed by an unintelligible follow-up text that said, “invisible throw”.  Fitzpatrick had been sending unwanted messages to the complainant for 10 years and had previously breached the conditions of his restraining order by continuing to message the complainant.  A series of violent deaths  Rob Fitzpatrick was killed, allegedly by another prisoner, while inside this facility. Photo / NZME  Fitzpatrick’s suspected murder is not an isolated case.  In just over 12 months, three prisoners placed in shared cells at MECF have died, allegedly at the hands of their cellmates.  In September 2024, father of five Andrew Chan Chui was found dead in the cell he was sha...