Latest news with #Coroner
ABC News
16 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
How Bondi Junction killer fell 'through the cracks' of mental health system
For the first time in almost 14 years Joel Cauchi was not taking any anti-psychotic medication. He was living independently of his parents and was studying and had ambitions of becoming a Chinese language interpreter. It was June of 2019. Cauchi had stopped taking any psychotropic medication and his then psychiatrist said his personality was emerging. But, by April 13, 2024 the man who had discovered life, free from the side effects of that medication, was "floridly psychotic", Counsel Assisting the Coroner Peggy Dwyer SC told the inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbings. Arming himself with a knife, 40-year-old Cauchi entered the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, in Sydney's east, and stabbed six people dead, injuring another 10 during his horrific rampage, before being shot dead by a police officer. For the past five weeks the New South Wales Coroner, Teresa O'Sullivan, has presided over an emotional inquest into the tragedy, seeking to uncover failings and shortcomings that led to the day that forever changed so many lives. She will consider how Cauchi fell "through the cracks" of the mental health system, as the inquest heard, effectively becoming "lost to the system". And whether medical professionals and police did enough to prevent it. The inquest heard at length from Cauchi's treating doctors, specialists and nurses. He was born on June 13, 1983 and his family first noticed behavioural changes when he was about 14. He was living in his home town of Toowoomba, an inland city west of Brisbane. At 17, he was admitted to the Toowoomba Hospital where he stayed for almost a month. He told doctors that he had hallucinations, reported seeing and feeling demons entering his body, feeling as though his movements were controlled and that people were inserting thoughts in his mind. The initial diagnosis was paranoid psychosis and schizophreniform disorder, a mental health condition similar to schizophrenia but lasting less than six months. Six months later, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. For almost 14 years, Cauchi was medicated on the drug Clozapine – an anti-psychotic medication only prescribed when two other forms of medication fail to manage symptoms of psychosis. Between 2012 and 2015, a decision was made, between Cauchi's then treating psychiatrist Andrea Boros-Lavack, himself and his family, to slowly reduce his Clozapine dose. In early 2016, Dr Boros-Lavack made a note: "Joel was becoming more animated, talkative, and getting in touch with his emotions in a good way. He was appreciating the opportunity to feel this way with reducing the dose of Clopine [a brand name for Clozapine]." "There were no negative effects so far. Spoke about the goal of becoming a Chinese language interpreter then marrying a nice girl, buying a house and working, and to work and live well." Cauchi himself, the doctor said, was very involved in the process of reducing the powerful drug and was "frightened of relapse". By mid-2018, he had ceased Clozapine but remained on a second drug, called Abilify, which then also ceased in June 2019. Cauchi moved out of home and was living independently, in a unit not far from his family home. He had progressed, according to Dr Boros-Lavack, from an inability to even make a cup of tea, to making two-minute soup. It was, in her words, a "milestone". Dr Boros-Lavack said she wanted to keep Cauchi in psychiatric care "for the rest of his life". By November 2019, Cauchi emailed Dr Boros-Lavack's clinic, seeking "ideas for a porn-free phone and other devices". He was expressing concerns about his excessive use of pornography and related insomnia. The same month, Cauchi's mother Michele called the clinic to say that her son was "very unwell" since coming off the medication and would like him reviewed. Michele Cauchi also emailed the clinic that month, telling them of a gradual decline in her son's condition since ceasing the medication. She said he was leaving notes on paper around the place and she believed he may be hearing voices. His obsessive-compulsive disorder, she said, was getting out of hand and that he was going through half a cake of soap in one shower. "He found out last week the place where he volunteers teaching English put someone new on and he'd been hoping to get a job there, so that was a real blow," Mrs Cauchi said. "I would hate to see him have to go back into hospital after 20 years of being stable on medication. But of course, being off it has made him realise how sedating it was … he quite possibly won't let on what is going on in his head, but I think you need to know how he is." Mrs Cauchi had read some of the notes left by her son. They referred to "under satanic control" and religious themes. A decision was made to recommence the drug Abilify, in a low dose. Dr Boros-Lavack was fearful it was early warning signs of a relapse of schizophrenia. Cauchi didn't take the medication. In an exchange with Dr Dwyer, Dr Boros-Lavack maintained she did not believe Cauchi was psychotic at that time of his mother's concerns. In fact, she said, he had been fearful of having contracted HIV after a sexual encounter and had gone to hospital to get antiviral drugs. "It wasn't the psychosis. It wasn't even early warning signs of relapse. It was based on his fear of STD. It was based on his sexual frustration, what he told us later on, about prostitutes and women and sex," Dr Boros-Lavack told the inquest. Her last face-to-face appointment with Cauchi was January 8, 2020. Dr Dwyer put to her that she must have suspected at that time that there might be symptoms of psychosis, given what had been reported by his mum and conflict at home. Dr Boros-Lavack's answer was unequivocal: "I was absolutely sure that he wasn't psychotic and that early warning signs of relapse was a false alarm. It was not psychotically driven." A month later, Cauchi's mother again rang the clinic, expressing concern that his self-care was poor, his place was a mess, he was isolated and irritable and swearing. A panel of five psychiatrists, called by the court to provide opinions on Cauchi's mental health treatment, agreed it was "reasonable" for Dr Boros-Lavack to reduce Cauchi's dose of Clozapine in order to find an "optimal dose" that would minimise unpleasant side effects of the drug. But one of the psychiatrists, Edward Heffernan, said he counted nine occasions that were of concern – relating to insomnia, his mother suspecting symptoms, a change in behaviour and satanic control. "To me, this flags we are probably having a psychotic episode here," Professor Heffernan said. Merete Nordentoft, a leading Danish psychiatrist, said the concerns were not taken seriously enough and described this period as a "missed opportunity" to put Cauchi back on anti-psychotic medication. In her opening address, Dr Dwyer said the inquest would review Cauchi's mental health treatment, where he was effectively without treatment and without adequate supervision for nearly five years before the Bondi killings. "We know from the evidence in the brief that Mr Cauchi had several interactions with Queensland police officers, including most notably in January 2023 where Queensland Police were called to Mr Cauchi's family home [in Toowoomba] following an incident where his father had confiscated a number of knives that were a similar style to that used by Mr Cauchi on April 13, 2024," Dr Dwyer said. "Mr Cauchi's father was worried about him having those knives, and the court will explore whether that was an opportunity missed for intervention by police, which may have resulted in Mr Cauchi being re-engaged with the mental health system at that time." By April 2024, Cauchi had been unmedicated for almost five years and was homeless in Sydney, where he had moved. "He had no consistent or formal engagement with the mental health system, or the health system more generally, and he was effectively lost to follow-up, the consequences of which were the catastrophic events of 13 April," Dr Dwyer said. "How that happened, and what could have been done differently, are key issues in this inquest." The inquest has now adjourned until October, when submissions will be heard ahead of coronial recommendations.
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
One dead after being hit by a car in Washington County
An investigation is underway after a person was hit by a car in Washington County just before 12:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. According to information from the Washington County Coroner's office, a driver stopped to help another driver in the 800 block of Jefferson Avenue in the City of Washington. One of the drivers who had pulled over stopped because they believed they had hit an animal on the road. Once they learned it was a person, they called 911. The Washington Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, and Washington Fire Department responded to the scene and pronounced the victim dead. The Washington Police Department is investigating, and the coroner's office has said that the identity of the victim is on hold until the next of kin is notified.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Partial human remains found at Hamilton landfill where investigators are searching for missing woman
Hamilton police say they located human remains at the landfill site where they have spent months searching for the body of Shalini Singh, a 40-year-old woman who was reported missing by her family back in December. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday morning, police said the partial human remains were located after police spent nearly three months combing through thousands of cubic metres of waste at the Glanbrook Landfill, located on Haldibrook Road in Hamilton. Investigators said it could take several weeks to determine if the human remains belong to Singh, who was last heard at around 7:10 p.m. on December 4. 'We are now working closely with the Office of the Coroner, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and the Centre for Forensic Sciences to examine those remains,' Det. Sgt. Daryl Reid said Thursday. 'At this time, we are waiting for DNA results to confirm the identity of the remains we have located.' Singh was reported missing by her family on December 10 after several days had passed without contact. 'On Dec. 12, this case was assigned to the homicide unit based on emerging evidence and concern for her wellbeing,' Reid added. According to Reid, Singh's apartment building has an 'extensive' video surveillance system and police reviewed 'hundreds of hours' of footage in connection with the case. 'We have video of Ms. Singh returning to her unit and never going back out of the building,' Reid added. 'As the investigation progressed, we began to consider the possibility that Shalini may have been disposed and removed from the building by way of the garbage disposal system.' 5,000 cubic metres of waste Reid said investigators began working with staff at the landfill site to try to determine where would be the best place to search for evidence in the investigation. 'Investigators identified an area where waste had been deposited during the time period of interest,' he added, noting that police then began the process of 'identifying and systematically examining" approximately 5,000 cubic metres of waste. The search at the landfill began on Feb. 24 and on May 21, nearly three full months later, investigators found the partial human remains, he said. Reid would not confirm if Singh's boyfriend is a suspect in her disappearance but noted that he has not cooperated in the probe. In the early days of the investigation, police were initially searching for both Singh and her boyfriend, but the man was located on Dec. 11 after police said he'd been visiting a family member outside of Hamilton. Reid said searches were conducted at Singh's residence and on two vehicles belonging to Singh and her boyfriend. 'We seized several items that we believe are relevant to the investigation,' he said. The investigator noted that they do not intend to identify a suspect in the case until charges have been laid. 'When we get the confirmation back from (the Centre for Forensic Sciences), that will progress our investigation to the next level,' Reid said. Investigators remain at the site to continue to search for more human remains and evidence connected to the case, Reid said. Hamilton Police Supt. Marty Schulenberg said the case has had a 'deep impact' on the broader community. 'Since the initial report of Shalini's disappearance, our members have shown tireless dedication. This has been a complex, resource-intensive investigation… The search at the Glanbrook Landfill site reflects the scale and complexity of the work,' Schulenberg said. 'Our hearts remain with her loved ones as we continue our work to find answers.'
ABC News
4 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
'The loneliest road': NT police officer's mother still searching for answers five years after her death
Amy* believed she knew her daughter better than anyone. As a toddler, she says Sophia* was strong-willed and clever — "a force to be reckoned with". "We told each other everything and we went through so much together," Amy says. So, when she noticed reappearing bruises on her daughter's face and body and Sophia said she had developed a blood disorder, Amy believed her. "She'd never lied to me before or hidden anything," she says. "I just did not doubt her." Looking back now, five years after her daughter's death, Amy says she battles with the agonising thought that she could have done more. Sophia was 38 years old when she died at Royal Darwin Hospital in 2020. Initially, Amy was told her daughter overdosed on prescription medication, but Sophia's cause of death was later revealed to be a subdural haemorrhage — or brain bleed. According to a coronial report published in 2021, Sophia had complained of a headache the day before her death and, after waking from an afternoon nap, "appeared to be hallucinating". "She didn't know what day or time of day it was, she was trying to plug her phone cord into open sockets and was incoherent," NT Coroner Greg Cavanagh wrote. Sophia's partner found her "unresponsive" in the early hours of the next morning and after calling an ambulance, he told paramedics she had overdosed on migraine pills. No crime scene was established and Sophia was declared dead an hour later. An autopsy later indicated the bleeding in her brain had commenced three to five days prior to her death. Judge Cavanagh noted Sophia's injury "would have required some form of trauma, likely a hit to the head, either due to falling or from another person". Her death was also found to have occurred "in the context of chronic alcoholism due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)", stemming from a traumatic miscarriage years earlier. Amy remembers seeing signs Sophia's mental health was declining, but she doesn't believe her daughter's alcohol addiction was solely related to the loss of her first pregnancy. At age 23, Sophia began her career as a police officer, serving several years interstate before relocating to the Northern Territory with her partner, a fellow officer, in 2009. Two years later, Sophia suffered a traumatic miscarriage, leading to her PTSD diagnosis. "No mother needs to go through that and no man should have to go through that either, it was awful for him as well," Amy says. Just four weeks later, Sophia fell pregnant a second time, and, concerned about her daughter's fragile mental state, Amy relocated to Darwin to live with her. Evidence heard during the coronial inquest revealed Sophia "turned to alcohol" to cope with the grief of her miscarriage and her addiction "impacted the relationship with her partner". During three years staying downstairs from the young couple, Amy says she noticed tension between the pair worsen. "The conflict escalated and her drinking escalated at the same time," she says. Amy says Sophia would confide in her about problems in the relationship and on several occasions, she encouraged her daughter to speak to the police. "I said 'if you don't report it, I'm going to', but she said 'no, no, no don't'," she says. Amy says while she witnessed flashes of the pair's troubled dynamic, she was shocked to learn afterwards how many other people had raised concerns. "There was just so much out there … so much that people didn't do," she says. The coronial report chronicles 17 complaints to the NT Police Force from neighbours, work colleagues, friends and doctors about alleged domestic violence and disturbances over a five-year period leading up to Sophia's death. Judge Cavanagh found her partner "was sometimes said to be manipulative and controlling", although his "controlling ways" were often explained as a response to Sophia's alcoholism. "He generally indicated … he needed to know where she was to either stop her drinking or so as to assist her when she was intoxicated," he wrote. Despite this, Judge Cavanagh said it was "difficult" to see Sophia's drinking as justification for her partner's access to her social media accounts or the "foul and abusive" messages he would send. Sophia's partner did not give evidence at the inquest and Judge Cavanagh declined to compel him to do so on the grounds it might incriminate him in an offence in relation to Sophia's death. The coroner ultimately referred the case to the NT Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In February 2023, Sophia's partner was charged with "callously" failing to rescue or render assistance and his case was committed to the NT Supreme Court. Amy was told a trial had been set down for September 2024, but in the weeks leading up to it, DPP Lloyd Babb SC requested an in-person meeting. Mr Babb and three other senior prosecutors told her the trial would no longer be going ahead. "They said they didn't believe they could win the case," Amy says. In a statement to the ABC, a spokesperson for Mr Babb said the assigned prosecutor had requested a review of the evidence to determine whether the case "continued to have reasonable prospects of success". "The director, on review of the evidentiary material available, determined that there were no reasonable prospects of securing a conviction at trial, and that the prosecution should not continue further," the spokesperson said. Sophia's partner, who remains a serving member of the NT Police Force, was contacted for comment. Responding on his behalf, his lawyer Luke Officer said "from a defence perspective, the tragic case always deeply troubled us" and "the decision to discontinue was plainly right". "In our view there were never any reasonable prospects of conviction," he said. "Unfortunately, for our client and particularly his children, that decision took way too long." After what the inquest heard were multiple reports of disturbances made by those around her, police had attempted to obtain a statement from Sophia, but she declined. Judge Cavanagh noted the reasons a victim of domestic violence might not report instances of abuse were "magnified when the perpetrator is also a police officer". "Those fears were from time to time expressed by [Sophia]," he wrote. Judge Cavanagh indicated the couple's involvement with the force was a likely contributor to the way complaints and reports were handled. In his evidence to the inquest, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Michael White acknowledged there were "red flags" which should have been investigated more thoroughly. "The Assistant Commissioner was of the view that there were a number of failures in the way the police dealt with the complaints," the coronial report stated. Either way, Amy says the stress of nearly four years of court proceedings while still trying to process the loss of her only daughter has been crippling. "At the end of the day, all you get is 'we're sorry', but [Sophia] is dead, and she should be here with her family and her daughter," she says. But Amy says she finds strength in her daughter's memory. "My daughter was strong and now I need to do that for her — I need to be just as strong as what she was." *Names have been changed.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Charges laid in Kirkland Lake drug overdose death
A Kirkland Lake man has been charged in connection with a fatal overdose, Ontario Provincial Police said. A 53-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with a fatal drug overdose in Kirkland Lake last November, the Ontario Provincial Police said. On Nov. 22, 2024, emergency crews responded to a residence on Government Road East after reports of an unresponsive person. A 42-year-old Kirkland Lake resident was pronounced dead at the scene. 'The Kirkland Lake Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police has charged one person in relation to a drug overdose death investigation,' the OPP said in a news release Tuesday. Kirkland Lake OPP An undated photo of the exterior of the Ontario Provincial Police Kirkland Lake detachment building. (File photo/CTV News Northern Ontario) The investigation was conducted under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. Authorities have released no other details at this time. Investigators have urged anyone with information related to the incident to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously. The accused remains in custody pending a court appearance on May 28.
