NSW body modifier guilty of manslaughter says he was denied basic medicine in jail when he had Covid

Brendan Leigh Russell, a NSW body modifier awaiting sentencing for manslaughter, sobbed on Monday as he detailed his past 11 weeks in custody in multiple Sydney prisons as the Omicron wave took hold.

Russell was taken into custody in mid-November after a district court judge found him guilty of three crimes committed against body modification clients between 2015 and 2017.

Russell should be released ahead of his sentence, scheduled for 7 March, to allow the Omicron wave to pass, his lawyer submitted on Monday.

Opposing release, the crown argued only five weeks remained until Russell was due to be sentenced and the tougher conditions experienced were a result of prison authorities responding to the pandemic.

Justice Michael Walton will deliver his decision on Monday afternoon.

All parties agree it is nearly inevitable Russell will be sentenced to further jail time on 7 March.

Trial judge Helen Syme found a substantial cause of death was sepsis stemming from an infection that started in the hand.