Some time after lunch yesterday, serial killer Ivan Milat stood over a small basin in his maximum security prison cell and sawed off his little finger with a plastic serrated knife.
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The 64-year-old, who is serving a life sentence in Goulburn jail for the murder of seven backpackers, let the blood from his severed finger drain into the sink and urinal unit and then put the finger in an envelope he had addressed to the High Court of Australia.
A short time later, Milat realised he needed help, said John Dunthorne, Corrective Services' south-west region assistant commissioner.
"He lay down after that had happened and I think the trauma of the cut and the stress got to him," Mr Dunthorne told 2UE radio today.
"He then brought it to the attention of the officers ... they reacted quickly, getting medical intervention to him and as a result of that he was transferred to Goulburn Base Hospital."
Medical staff could not reattach Milat's finger, which had been brought to the hospital on ice, Mr Dunthorne said.
He was back in Goulburn jail with a bandaged hand by 10pm yesterday and will now be watched 24 hours a day through constant camera surveillance.
"It's the work of a desperate man and Ivan Milat is in the top echelon of desperate people," Mr Dunthorne said.
Milat was jailed in 1996.
In early 2001 Milat swallowed razor blades and other metal objects, including disposable shavers, stationery staples and a small chain from a pair of nail clippers.
In 1999, a hacksaw blade was found in a biscuit packet in Milat's cell, and in 1997 he unsuccessfully tried to flee Maitland jail with the drugs offender George Savvas.
NSW Corrective Services commissioner Ron Woodham told Macquarie Radio today: "He was going to try and post it, but then of course, when you cut a finger off it does hurt.
"He got crook and it was hurting and ... very painful and of course he had to raise attention to it and hand it over.
"He's back in an observation cell this morning, dressed in a gown, feeling sorry for himself. He hasn't taken any meals yet, but that doesn't worry us. We'll just monitor him and keep an eye on him," Mr Woodham said.
Milat has initiated hunger strikes in the past and Mr Woodham believed he might be starting another such attempt.
"[Milat's] out of touch with reality just at present," he said.
"Today he's refused to eat. He's been on hunger strikes before. We believe he's starting another hunger strike. But he likes his food so it will only last a day or two."
Milat had been given the plastic knife with a meal as part of a rewards program, Mr Woodham said.
"But when he does take his next meal he won't be getting a knife with it," he added.
