Argy Bargy Killer* Makes a Bid for the Soft Touch of the Psych Ward

I don’t mind giving a couple of bucks to the Salvation Army etc. But for the guys like the Red Cross that’s not good enough. They’ll try to give you a 10 minute speech, then expect you to donate by direct debit monthly!! No way Jose!!
And how about the guys that ask for a “spare” cigarette?? I tell them I’m sorry but none of my cigarettes are spare, I’m fully intending to smoke them all. I’m not going to look in the packet, see there’s only a couple left so chuck them in the bin am I???
And don’t get me started on “spare” change either!

they’re not all beggars – but they are all annoying. In one walk from Kathmandhu up to Garema place I might have to say no to a religious nutter, the red cross, battery chook protesters, junkie begger, fat gambling beggar, falung gong people, scientologists etc etc. They all come out at lunchtime – it is now easier just to walk the long way around the street.

Didn’t see nothing yesterday. I’ll have another stroll through today but these huddled hordes of beggars are yet to materialise.

Yep – garema place and the pedestrian walk from the old Electric Shadows, the merrigoround and up to the bus interchange is a no-go zone at lunchtime due to all the aggressive beggars.

I’d agree with the fact that the guy is a complete waste of space and a lowlife. Unfortunately Canberra, especially Civic, seems to be full of them. It’s high time the authorities started doing something for the safety of the public. I’m sick to death of being hassled for change or cigarettes only to be verbally abused when refused. The Civic interchange is virtually a no-go area in my books.

He’s a nut he attacks old defenceless people and injures them. Lock him up end of the discussion.

to clarify TAD’s comment, the resuscitation attempts did not begin immediately after the push or shoulder charge. she actually got up after the push and continued shopping, went to the superbarn in the canberra centre, paid and left, then had the heart attack/heart problem, about half an hour after the incident. whether there was a link between the push and the heart failure will be for the courts to determine, unless of course nicholls is found not guilty because of his mental health issues.

Yeah what Jackal said………………..

A shitload of misinformation in that one. If you read the info from court.

– lady died of a torn aorta not a heart attack, half an hour after being pushed (not shoulder charged) into bike racks. The extra 30 mins was attempted resuscitation. Nicholls has been charged with manslaughter, the allegation being that the torn aorta was directly related to the alleged assault.

– Nicholls was ordered by the magistrate to undergo a mental health assessment at TCH Psychiatric Services Unit whilst still being remanded in custody. This unit is a secure mental health facility in name only and he escaped (not checked out).

– As the only other “secure mental health facility” Brian Hennessy House is full he was sent back to Belconnen Remand Centre.

he wasn’t in the psych ward voluntarily, he was there under a magistrate’s order so he could be assessed and treated. while there, he just strolled out without anyone realising, not “checked himself out” as his lawyer told the court. apparently this happens often, as the psych ward is inadequately staffed. plus the staff there are nurses etc, not security guards equipped to handle the criminally insane. though it’s regarded by the courts as a secure facility, the hospital’s psych unit is anything but. nicholls is back in the remand centre.

It depends on what basis he was in the ward on:

If he was a voluntary patient, he can check himself out any time he wants.

If he was on an Emergency Detention order, he is in the ward against his will for assessment, but if a psychiatrist finds that he is not mentally ill at that time he is then free to go.

If he has an order from the Mental Health Tribunal, he is required to be in hospital if the treating psychiatrist deems it to be necessary.

Otherwise, there is always the option of going AWOL – absent without leave. These patients are reported to various authorities when they are found to be AWOL, but after a certain period of time being absent, they are discharged.

I hope this is not true.

Speaking gnenerally though, I’ve always thought it was a flaw in teh system that lunatics get off scott free as soon as they are cured.

I think if you do a murder that would have got 10 years, and you are declared insane and sent to the loony bin, then when you are declared cured, and about to be let out, you should serve some proportion of a sentence for the crime committed. Especially if you are suddenly cured very soon after doing the crime.

that, or chronically under-regulated and legislatively inforced..???

what powers do ward staff have in these sort of cases?

Maybe the ACT was violating his human rights by confining him in the psych ward?

Probably another case of the psych unit being cronically understaffed on the day he went walkies?