Man found not criminally responsible for fatal stabbing due to mental health impairment
Quick Look
- A 25-year-old man was found not criminally responsible for fatally stabbing his 61-year-old housemate in Tweed Heads West due to a mental health impairment and schizophrenic disorder.
- The Supreme Court heard voices from the radio told him to commit the act.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A 25-year-old man was found not criminally responsible for fatally stabbing his housemate in Tweed Heads West due to a mental health impairment and schizophrenic disorder. The court heard voices from the radio told him to commit the act.
A court has found a man who fatally stabbed his housemate at Tweed Heads West in 2024 was not criminally responsible because he was unable to determine his actions were wrong.
In the Supreme Court in Sydney, Justice Greg Sirtes said a special verdict was justified because the 25-year-old was suffering a mental health impairment and schizophrenic disorder.
The court heard Connor Bullus had been living in the home of the 61-year-old woman for four months, but "snapped" when she refused to share her cannabis with him.
The court heard a neighbour told police that Donna Baraket was known to help homeless people, and that some visitors to the house were "shady".
The neighbour said they heard the man yelling abuse at Ms Baraket several days before she was killed.
Justice Sirtes read details of a victim impact statement from a family member, who described her a happy, free-spirited person.
The statement said Ms Baraket had been a carer for her mother for 10 years, and her death had left the elderly woman alone.
The court heard Mr Bullus had attended an appointment with a social worker on the day of the murder, and told them his housemate wanted him to move out "for no reason".
He said the 61-year-old was "always accusing me of things I haven't done", but he declined an offer by the social worker to contact Link2Home to arrange alternative accommodation.
The court heard Ms Baraket was with a friend when he got back to the house.
After the friend left, the 25-year-old armed himself with a large kitchen knife, went into her bedroom and stabbed her multiple times.
The court heard Mr Bullus then walked out of the house and asked a passer-by to take him to hospital to treat a stab wound to his hand.
The judge said he relied on reports from six psychologists to inform his decision, which included assessments that the accused man had suffered periods of acute psychosis.
The assessments found that at the time of the offence, he was suffering auditory hallucinations, with voices from the radio "telling him to do it".
The judge said Mr Bullus lacked insight and had distorted reasoning.
He ordered the 25-year-old be detained in a correctional facility or another place according to due process undertaken by the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
Open Questions
- What is the specific correctional facility or other place of detention?
- What is the expected duration of detention?