Describing case as ‘tragic’, supreme court denies 21-year-old bail over 72 charges, including three alleged serious assaults
A young man with severe intellectual disability and psychological disorders linked to an “appallingly” abusive childhood will spend more than two years in prison without facing trial, due to delays in Queensland’s mental health court.
In her judgment, Bowskill described the man’s case as “tragic” and said that a delay in the mental health court process, which would cause him to be held in custody for more than two years on remand, was “profoundly regrettable”.Two psychiatrists have provided reports that would support MZU being found unfit for trial. Bowskill urged the Queensland director of public prosecutions to push for an uncontested hearing in the mental health court to take place “as soon as possible”.
He was diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder after having suffered an “appallingly prejudicial childhood” that included psychological and emotional abuse, neglect and trauma. The court heard that the 72 charges included three serious assaults of older people, including an alleged attack on a 63-year-old nurse on a Gold Coast tram. MZU allegedly attempted to steal her handbag, struck the woman and stomped on her head, leaving her unconscious and suffering serious injuries.Prosecutors argued that the mental health court was “best placed to make an appropriate decision” about MZU’s future, including making a potential forensic order.
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