South Australia's Attorney General Kyam Maher will address 'gaps' in the state's law after a young mother's killer was sentenced to 11 years behind bars after he was found to be experiencing drug-induced hallucinations at the time of the offence.
Attorney-General Kyam Maher made the announcement on Friday after Cody Edwards was sentenced to 11 years behind bars for the manslaughter of Synamin Bell in March 2022.
"This interaction of these two aspects of the law, self-induced intoxication and excessive force in self-defence, as a partial defence, is exceptionally rare but we don't want to see another family go through what Synamin Bell's family has had to go through," he said. Edwards originally pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, citing drug-induced psychosis as a defence.Under Part 8 of the Criminal Consolidation Act 1935, current laws provide an intoxication defence in certain circumstances.
It also states intoxication cannot be used as a defence if there was the intention to commit the crime before the defendant became intoxicated.Fight not over for Synamin Bell's family "They've not only lost a cherished member of their family but have had to deal with the trauma of the killer pleading guilty to a lesser charge because of the way the law stands today.
Drug-Induced Psychosis Drugs Crime Trial Court Law Law Reforms Synamin Bell Cody Edwards
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