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[2019] NSWSC 847
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State of New South Wales v CT (Final) [2019] NSWSC 847 (5 July 2019)
Last Updated: 5 July 2019
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Supreme Court
New South Wales
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Case Name:
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State of New South Wales v CT (Final)
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Medium Neutral Citation:
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Hearing Date(s):
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19 June 2019
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Date of Orders:
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21 June 2019
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Decision Date:
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5 July 2019
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Jurisdiction:
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Common Law
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Before:
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Wright J
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Decision:
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The Court ORDERS: 1 Pursuant to s 17(1)(b) of the
Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW) (the CHRO Act), the defendant is
subject to a continuing detention order (CDO) for a period of 5 months and 3
days commencing
on 21 June 2019 and expiring on 23 November
2019. 2 Pursuant to ss 17(1)(a) and 25B of the
CHRO Act, the defendant is subject to an extended supervision order (ESO) for a
period
of 3 years commencing immediately upon the expiration of the CDO referred
to in order 1 or its earlier revocation by the
Court. 3 Pursuant to s 11 of the CHRO Act, for the
period of the ESO referred to in order 2, the defendant is directed to comply
with the
conditions of supervision set out in the schedule to this order (see
below). 4 Pursuant to s 20(1) of the CHRO Act, a
warrant is to issue for the committal of the defendant to a correctional centre
for the
purpose of order 1. 5 The parties have
liberty to apply to Wright J on 2 days’ notice concerning the
implementation, variation or revocation of
these
orders. 6 The pseudonym order made by N Adams J on
22 May 2019 is varied to the extent necessary to permit the reports of Dr Ellis
and Dr
Martin, the transcript of proceedings and any other relevant evidence in
this matter to be provided to the defendant’s treating
psychiatrist or
other healthcare practitioners to assist their consideration of whether the
defendant should be referred or admitted
to a suitable mental health facility,
including the Forensic Hospital. The Court
NOTES: 7 Pursuant to s 10(2) of the CHRO Act, the
defendant's obligations under the ESO referred to in orders 2 and 3 are
suspended while
the defendant is in lawful custody whether under this or any
other Act or law. 8 Lawful custody for the
purposes of s 10(2) of the CHRO Act may include detention as an involuntary
patient in a mental health
facility under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW), or
escorted leave from any such facility, at least in circumstances where the
defendant's freedom is directly controlled and
limited. 9 The Court would be assisted
by: a. the defendant’s treating psychiatrist and, if
appropriate, other healthcare practitioners preparing a report or reports
as to
whether the defendant should be referred or admitted to the Forensic Hospital or
another mental health facility, having regard
to the defendant’s current
mental health status and the absence of suitable accommodation as disclosed in
the evidence in this
matter; b. such reports or reports
being prepared and furnished to the Crown Solicitor’s Office by 19 July
2019.
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Catchwords:
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HIGH RISK OFFENDER – final hearing – application for continuing
detention order and/or extended supervision order –
history of disturbing
pattern of armed, violent behaviour – defendant very recently diagnosed
with significant psychiatric
illness – Court satisfied to a “high
degree of probability” that defendant posed an “unacceptable
risk”
of committing another serious offence if not kept in detention while
psychiatric illness treated in a secure and safe facility –
continuing
detention order made pending admission to secure psychiatric facility - extended
supervision order made for three years
to operate on expiration or revocation of
continuing detention disorder – extended supervision order suspended while
defendant
in lawful custody order under Mental Health Act 2007
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Legislation Cited:
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Cases Cited:
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Category:
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Principal judgment
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Parties:
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State of New South Wales (Plaintiff) CT (Defendant)
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Representation:
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Counsel: Mr P Aitken (Plaintiff) Ms S Fernando
(Defendant) Solicitors: Crown Solicitor’s Office
(Plaintiff) Legal Aid (Defendant)
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File Number(s):
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2019/037393
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Publication Restriction:
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Publication of the defendant’s name is restricted in accordance with
the order of N Adams J made on 22 May 2019.
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JUDGMENT
INTRODUCTION
- By
a summons filed on 4 February 2019, the plaintiff, the State of New South Wales,
sought the following orders, among others:
- (1) an order
pursuant to ss 5D(1) and 17(1)(b) of the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act
2006 (NSW) (the CHRO Act) that the defendant be the subject of a continuing
detention order (CDO) for a period of one year.
- (2) an order
pursuant to s 20(1) of the CHRO Act that the Court issue a warrant for the
committal of the defendant to a correctional
centre for such period.
- (3) at the
expiry of the continuing detention order:
- (a) an order
pursuant to ss 5C(1) and 9(1)(a) of the CHRO Act, that the defendant be subject
to an extended supervision order (ESO)
for a period of 5 years from the date of
the order; and
- (b) an order
pursuant to s 11 of the CHRO Act directing the defendant, for the period of the
ESO, to comply with the conditions set
out in Schedule A to the
summons.
- In
the alternative, the plaintiff sought:
- (1) an order
pursuant to ss 5C(1) and 9(1)(a) of the CHRO Act that the defendant be subject
to an ESO for a period of 5 years; and
- (2) an order
pursuant to s 11 of the CHRO Act directing that the defendant, for the period of
the ESO, comply with the conditions
set out in Schedule A to the
summons.
- The
defendant’s sentence of imprisonment was due to expire on 31 March
2019.
- A
preliminary hearing, as required by ss 15(3) and 7(3) of the CHRO Act, was
conducted on 8 March 2019.
- On
21 March 2019, Bellew J made an interim detention order (IDO) for a period of 28
days commencing on 31 March 2019.
- At
some time prior to 26 March 2019, the defendant was admitted to Long Bay
Hospital. There was apparently some confusion as to the
status of the defendant
while he was being treated there. Nonetheless, it now appears that he was a
voluntary patient during some
or all of his admission.
- Between
1 April 2019 and 23 May 2019, the defendant remained at Long Bay Hospital
receiving treatment.
- On
24 April 2019, when the matter came before Harrison J, it was assumed that the
defendant was an involuntary patient at Long Bay
Hospital and, in those
circumstances, it was thought inappropriate to make any further order under the
CHRO Act.
- On
21 May 2019, N Adams J made an order that the defendant be placed on an IDO for
6 days expiring on 27 May 2019, together with consequential
orders.
- On
27 May 2019, a further IDO was made by Hamill J for 27 days, expiring at
midnight on 23 June 2019.
- After
an urgent appeal against the orders of N Adams J and Hamill J was dismissed by
the Court of Appeal, the final hearing of the
State’s application took
place before me, on 19 June 2019.
- At
the end of the hearing on 19 June 2019, I reserved my decision. On 21 June 2019,
I made orders as follows:
“1 Pursuant to s 17(1)(b) of the Crimes (High Risk
Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW) (the CHRO Act) the defendant is subject to a
continuing detention order (CDO) for a period of 5 months and 3 days commencing
on 21 June 2019 and expiring on 23 November 2019.
2 Pursuant to ss 17(1)(a) and 25B of the CHRO Act, the
defendant is subject to an extended supervision order (ESO) for a period
of
three years commencing immediately upon the expiration of the CDO referred to in
order 1 or its earlier revocation by the Court.
3 Pursuant to s 11 of the CHRO Act, for the period of the ESO
referred to in order 2, the defendant is directed to comply with
the conditions
of supervision set out in the schedule to this order (see below).
4 Pursuant to s 20(1) of the CHRO Act, a warrant is to issue
for the committal of the defendant to a correctional centre for the
purpose of
order 1.
5 The parties have liberty to apply to Wright J on 2
days’ notice concerning the implementation, variation or revocation
of
these orders.
6 The pseudonym order made by N Adams J on 22 May 2019 is
varied to the extent necessary to permit the reports of Dr Ellis and
Dr Martin,
the transcript of proceedings and any other relevant evidence in this matter to
be provided to the defendant’s treating
psychiatrist or other healthcare
practitioners to assist their consideration of whether the defendant should be
referred or admitted
to a suitable mental health facility, including the
Forensic Hospital.”
- At
the same time, the Court also expressly noted:
“7 Pursuant to s 10(2) of the CHRO Act, the defendant's
obligations under the ESO referred to in orders 2 and 3 are suspended
while the
defendant is in lawful custody whether under this or any other Act or law.
8 Lawful custody for the purposes of s 10(2) of the CHRO Act
may include detention as an involuntary patient in a mental health
facility
under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW), or escorted leave from any such
facility, at least in circumstances where the defendant's freedom is directly
controlled and
limited.
9 The Court would be assisted by:
a. the defendant’s treating
psychiatrist and, if appropriate, other healthcare practitioners preparing a
report or reports
as to whether the defendant should be referred or admitted to
the Forensic Hospital or another mental health facility, having regard
to the
defendant’s current mental health status and the absence of suitable
accommodation as disclosed in the evidence in this
matter;
b. such reports or reports being prepared and furnished to the
Crown Solicitor’s Office by 19 July 2019.”
- At
the time of making those orders, I indicated that my reasons for judgement would
be delivered later. My reasons for making those
orders on 21 June 2019 are as
set out below.
Relevant statutory provisions and
principles
- There
was no substantial dispute between the parties as to the relevant statutory
provisions and principles.
- The
making of an ESO and a CDO is governed by ss 5B and 5C of the CHRO Act,
which are in following terms:
“5B Making of extended supervision orders—unacceptable
risk
The Supreme Court may make an order for the supervision in the community of a
person (an extended supervision order) if:
(a) the person is an offender who is serving (or who has
served) a sentence of imprisonment for a serious offence either in custody
or
under supervision in the community, and
(b) the person is a supervised offender (within the meaning of section 5I),
and
(c) an application for the order is made in accordance with section 5I, and
(d) the Supreme Court is satisfied to a high degree of probability that the
offender poses an unacceptable risk of committing another
serious offence if not
kept under supervision under the order.
5C Making of continuing detention orders—unacceptable risk
The Supreme Court may make an order for the continued detention of a person (a
continuing detention order) if:
(a) the person is an offender who is serving (or who has
served) a sentence of imprisonment for a serious offence either in custody
or
under supervision in the community, and
(b) the person is a detained offender or supervised offender (within the meaning
of section 13B), and
(c) an application for the order is made in accordance with section 13B, and
(d) the Supreme Court is satisfied to a high degree of probability that the
person poses an unacceptable risk of committing another
serious offence if not
kept in detention under the order.”
- In
the present case, it was not in dispute that the requirements in s 5C(a),
(b) and (c) were met.[1] It would also
follow, and I did not understand it to be in dispute, that the requirements of
s 5B(a), (b) and (c) were also met.
Accordingly, whether an ESO and/or and
CDO could be made in this case depended on whether the Court was satisfied to a
“high
degree of probability” that the defendant poses an
“unacceptable risk” of committing another serious offence if
not
kept, respectively:
- (1) under
supervision under the ESO; and/or
- (2) in
detention under the CDO.
- The
standard of proof required by the words a “high degree of
probability”, in ss 5B(d) and 5C(d) of the CHRO Act, is
a higher
standard than “more probably than not” but not as high as
“beyond reasonable doubt”: Cornwall v Attorney General for New
South Wales [2007] NSWCA 374 at [21]. The right of an offender to his or her
personal liberty after serving a term of imprisonment is not a consideration in
this evaluative
task: Lynn v State of New South Wales [2016] NSWCA 57; (2016) 91 NSWLR 636
(Lynn) at [44] and [55]-[58]; [2016] NSWCA 57.
- In
performing this task, the Court is also to have regard to the objects of the
CHRO Act, set out relevantly in s 3 in the following
terms:
“(1) The primary object of this Act is to provide for the extended
supervision and continuing detention of ... high risk violent
offenders so as to
ensure the safety and protection of the community.
(2) Another object of this Act is to encourage ... high risk violent offenders
to undertake rehabilitation.”
- In
addition, I am bound to apply ss 9(2) and 17(2) of the CHRO Act which
provide that in determining whether or not to make an ESO
or a CDO,
respectively:
“the safety of the community must be the paramount consideration of the
Supreme Court.”
- Nonetheless,
the purpose of the CHRO Act, like the earlier Crimes (Serious Sex Offenders)
Act 2006 (NSW), is protective and rehabilitative not punitive:
Attorney-General for the State of New South Wales v Gallagher [2006]
NSWSC 340 at [21] (McClellan CJ at CL).
- It
should also be noted that, when the Court is considering an application for an
ESO or a CDO, by virtue of s 5D of the CHRO Act,
it:
“is not required to determine that the risk of an offender committing a
serious offence is more likely than not in order to
determine that there is an
unacceptable risk of the person committing such an
offence.”
- Unacceptability
depends on a range of factors which must be balanced against one another. There
may be circumstances where a person
may be held to pose an unacceptable risk of
committing another serious offence even if the risk of recidivism is low but the
consequences,
for example to a victim, are likely to be drastic: see the
comments of N Adams J in State of New South Wales v Wilson (Preliminary)
[2017] NSWSC 1367 at [127]- [128].
- The
evaluation to be made under ss 5B(d) and 5C(d) is directed to the
assessment of risk in the context of making the community secure
from harm as
opposed to guaranteeing its safety and protection, and such an assessment is to
be made assuming the absence of any
supervision: Lynn at [61].
- Determining
whether to make a CDO or an ESO, or a CDO followed by an ESO, turns, at least in
part, upon the matters to which the Court
must have regard under ss 9(3),
which relates to ESOs, and s 17(4), which concerns CDOs. The paragraphs of
those two subsections
which are applicable in the present case are almost
identical. Where they are different, the two different versions are given in
the
quotation which follows:
“(a) (Repealed)
(b) the reports received from the persons appointed under section
[[s 9(3)] 7(4); [s 17(4)] 15(4)] to conduct examinations
of the offender, and the level of the offender’s participation in any such
examination,
(c) the results of any other assessment prepared by a qualified psychiatrist,
registered psychologist or registered medical practitioner
as to the likelihood
of the offender committing a further serious offence, the willingness of the
offender to participate in any
such assessment, and the level of the
offender’s participation in any such assessment,
(d) the results of any statistical or other assessment as to the likelihood of
persons with histories and characteristics similar
to those of the offender
committing a further serious offence,
(d1) any report prepared by Corrective Services NSW as to the extent to which
the offender can reasonably and practicably be managed
in the community,
(e) any treatment or rehabilitation programs in which the offender has had an
opportunity to participate, the willingness of the
offender to participate in
any such programs, and the level of the offender’s participation in any
such programs,
[[s 9(3)] (e1) options (if any) available if the offender is kept in
custody or is in the community (whether or not under supervision) that
might
reduce the likelihood of the offender re-offending over time,
[s 17(4)] (e1) if the offender is kept in custody or is in the
community (whether or not under supervision)—any options available that
might reduce the likelihood of the offender re-offending over time,
[s 9(3)] (e2) the likelihood that the offender will comply with the
obligations of an extended supervision order,
[s 17(4)] (e2) whether it is satisfied that the offender is likely
to comply with the obligations of an extended supervision order,
[s 9(3)] (f) without limiting paragraph (e2), the level of the
offender’s compliance with any obligations to which he or she is or has
been subject while on release on parole or while subject to an earlier extended
supervision order,
[s 17(4)] (f) without limiting paragraph (e2), the level of the
offender’s compliance with any obligations to which he or she is or has
been subject while on release on parole or while subject to an interim
supervision order or an extended supervision order,]
(g) ...
(h) the offender’s criminal history (including prior convictions and
findings of guilt in respect of offences committed in
New South Wales or
elsewhere), and any pattern of offending behaviour disclosed by that
history,
(h1) the views of the sentencing court at the time the sentence of imprisonment
was imposed on the offender,
(i) any other information that is available as to the likelihood that the
offender will commit a further serious offence,
... [s 17(4) contains other paragraphs which are not presently
relevant].”
The evidence
- At
the final hearing, the documentation before the Court was not in a state that
was easy to follow. Accordingly, for the sake of
clarity, I note that the
affidavit evidence relied upon by the State was:
- (1) the
affidavits of Ms Shawana Tasneem of 4 and 21 February 2019 and 13 and 28 May
2019;
- (2) the
affidavit of Shweta Sharma of 4 June 2019;
- (3) the
affidavit of Nicole Ahern of 7 June 2019;
- (4) the
affidavit of Alecia Nolan of 13 June 2019; and
- (5) the
affidavit of Kim Ward of 17 June 2019.
- The
defendant relied on the following:
- (1) the
affidavit of Todd Davis of 12 June 2019; and
- (2) the
affidavit of ET (the name of the deponent being the subject of a non-disclosure
order) of 11 June 2019
- The
exhibits were as follows:
- (1) the expert
reports of Dr Ellis of 12 May 2019 and 2 June 2019 – exhibit A;
- (2) the expert
reports of Dr Martin of 7 May 2019 and 31 May 2019 – exhibit B;
- (3) the Risk
Assessment Reports of Ms Tulloh of 20 December 2018 and 11 June 2019 –
exhibit C;
- (4) the risk
management report of Ms Ruecroft of 14 June 2019 – exhibit D; and
- (5) the risk
management report of Mr Corcoran of 9 January 2019 – exhibit
E.
- The
evidence included considerable material concerning the defendant’s
background, criminal history and mental health issues.
These were all relevant
to a number of the matters referred to above. These facts were not generally in
dispute and can be summarised
as set out in the following
paragraphs.
The defendant’s background
- The
defendant is a 47 year old man, having been born in May 1972 in Gosford. He was
raised mainly by his mother. His parents separated
when he was about three.
According to the defendant, he had minimal contact with his father until the age
of 17 and his father subsequently
died from bone cancer in 2009. His mother had
a number of other partners and the defendant had a difficult relationship with
them.
Although the dates are not entirely clear, the defendant was in foster
care and, during this time, he was sexually assaulted by one
of his foster
carers. After about the age of 16, he lived with friends.
- The
defendant completed his schooling at about 16 and described himself as a good
student without behavioural problems. He has a forklift
licence and has worked
on building sites. Into his 20s, he worked on a farm and as a farm manager. He
also said that he worked successfully
as a cleaner contracted by Aldi across a
range of stores from Wodonga to Mildura and apparently spent much of his adult
life in the
Albury area.
- The
defendant reported that he first smoked cannabis at the age of 11 and has
previously used it on a daily basis. He apparently bought
hemp oil through the
Internet or the “dark web” and said that he used this in the context
of treating bone cancer. He
expressed a wish, as late as May 2019, to continue
to use cannabis for this reason. He also said that he used amphetamines from the
age of 13 and had previously used it intravenously. In addition, in the 1990s,
he may have used heroin, although this was denied
during one interview, and he
also tried at times cocaine, magic mushrooms, LSD and other synthetic
substances. He tested positive
for methamphetamine use on urinalysis while on
release to parole in 2018.
- It
appears that the defendant was in a de facto relationship with IC for more than
20 years from about the mid-1990s. He has two sons
as a result of that
relationship, who are aged about 17 and 18 years.
The
defendant’s criminal history prior to the index offences
- The
defendant’s criminal history, prior to the index offences, can be
sufficiently summarised as follows:
- (1) Between
1989 and 1992, the defendant committed offences of stealing, offensive behaviour
and offensive language for which he was
fined.
- (2) In August
1993, the defendant committed the offence of using an offensive weapon (a
firebomb) with intent to commit an indictable
offence when he threw a bottle
filled with petrol with a lighted rag as a wick at the home of a Police officer
in Griffith. The bottle
hit a tree near the house and exploded.
- (3) In May
1994, the defendant failed to appear at trial, being on bail at the time and a
bench warrant was issued.
- (4) In June
1994 when police eventually arrested him, the defendant committed the offences
of escaping lawful custody and being armed
with intent to commit an indictable
offence, in what was described as a siege. Other offences of assaulting a Police
officer, possessing
a loaded firearm, possessing an unlicensed firearm, and
using a firearm were taken into account when the defendant was sentenced
for the
first mentioned offences.
- (5) In May
1995, the defendant was sentenced to imprisonment for four years with a
non-parole period of two years in respect of the
August 1993 offence and fixed
terms of three months and six months, both dating from 30 June 1994, for the
June 1994 offences.
- (6) In June
1996, the defendant was released to parole and this supervision expired on 29
June 1998.
- (7) In March
1998, the defendant committed two offences of common assault for which he was
sentenced to 7 months’ imprisonment,
commencing on 10 August 1998, with a
two-month non-parole period. These assaults involved his partner, IC.
- (8) In October
1998, the defendant committed the offence of destroying or damaging property
with a value of less than $2000. He was
required to enter into a recognisance
under s 558, not to assault or contact the victim.
- (9) In January
1999, the defendant contravened an apprehended domestic violence order on two
occasions for which he was fined. These
contraventions involved his partner
IC.
- (10) In August
2001, the defendant committed the offences of using offensive language in
public, resisting an officer in the execution
of duty, custody of a knife in a
public place, resisting police in the execution of duty and assaulting an
officer in the execution
of duty. He was sentenced to an effective term of three
months commencing on 29 August 2002.
- (11) In
November 2001, the defendant committed the offence of using an offensive weapon
to prevent a police investigation for which
he was sentenced to 4 years
imprisonment commencing on 10 May 2002 with a non-parole period of two
years.
- (12) In January
2007, the defendant committed the offence of break and enter and steal for which
a 2 year s 9 bond was originally
imposed in June 2008. In April 2010 on
call up, he was sentenced to imprisonment for three months commencing on 2
December 2009 in
respect of this offence.
- (13) In
February 2007, the defendant contravened an apprehended domestic violence order
for which he was fined. This offence involved
his step daughter.
- (14) In April,
May and June 2007, the defendant breached bail on four occasions.
- (15) In May
2007, the defendant committed the offence of destroying or damaging property and
was fined.
- (16) In
February 2009, the defendant committed the offences of driving a vehicle
recklessly, driving a vehicle while unlicensed, using
an uninsured motor vehicle
and other related vehicle offences. He was sentenced to an effective term of
four months imprisonment
commencing on 2 December 2009 and fined.
- (17) In October
2009, the defendant committed two offences of common assault on two male persons
at a home he visited seeking alcohol
for which he was imprisoned for one month
commencing on 1 December 2009.
- (18) In
November 2009, the defendant breached bail on one occasion.
- (19) In
November 2009 whilst on bail, he committed offences of assault occasioning
actual bodily harm, being armed with intent to
commit an indictable offence,
stalking or intimidating, destroying or damaging property to a value of less
than $2000 for which he
was effectively sentenced to 20 months’
imprisonment commencing on 2 December 2009 with a non-parole period of 12
months.
- (20) On 1
December 2010, the defendant was released to parole but it appears his parole
was revoked for non-compliance.
- (21) In August
2012, the defendant committed the offences of possessing and supplying a
prohibited drug and bringing a small quantity
of drug into a detention centre
for which a 120 hour community service order was
imposed.
The index offences
- The
information concerning the index offences, to which the defendant pleaded
guilty, was derived from the agreed facts. By 30 March
2016, the defendant had
been in a relationship with IC for over 15 years and they had two sons.
Unfortunately, the relationship had
severely deteriorated involving periods of
separation and reconciliation.
- IC
worked as a housecleaner. At about 11:30 AM on 30 March 2016, IC was cleaning
the house of the second victim in Albury, when the
defendant was observed by a
passing motorist looking into the windows of IC’s vehicle and over the
side fences of a residence.
The motorist continued to observe the defendant
walking into the front yard of a residence and started to ring 000. The
defendant
saw the motorist and ran out of the yard towards him, yelling
obscenities. The motorist reversed his vehicle some 50 m down the street.
- Then,
a nearby resident in the same street came out of his house and saw the defendant
who walked towards him into his driveway. The
resident asked the defendant if he
needed help and the defendant removed a bottle from the recycling bin and
commenced threatening
the resident to go across the road and get the
defendant’s “Missus” out of the house. The resident complied
and
started to walk towards the house across the road. The defendant repeated
his demand while pressing the bottle into the back of the
neck of the resident.
He also told the resident that he had a firearm and would shoot him if he did
not comply with his demands.
- At
about 12 noon, IC was still cleaning the house when she heard the commotion out
on the street and saw the defendant and the resident
approaching the front door
of the house she was cleaning. She opened the front door and the security door
and went outside to find
out what the defendant was doing. The defendant
assaulted IC by pushing her out of the way which caused a scratch to her
forehead.
The defendant went into the house. The resident stayed at the front
door till he heard screaming “call the police” and
he started to
return to his house to get a phone and ring 000. He could hear glass smashing
inside the house where the defendant
was.
- Inside
the house, the defendant confronted the second victim, screamed an obscenity at
him and then without warning struck him on
the head with the bottle he had been
carrying. The second victim ended up on the floor with the defendant over the
top of him still
yelling at him and striking him with his fists. The second
victim managed to get up and run out of the front door with the defendant
pursuing him and continuing to make threats. The second victim flagged down a
passing car, got in and told the driver to speed away
as he believed he had seen
the defendant pull a firearm shaped object from his pocket. As a result of the
incident, the second victim
suffered a number of facial fractures for which he
was treated at hospital.
- The
defendant was later located and arrested. He was found in possession of a 15 cm
bladed knife hidden down the front of his pants
and a small tin containing
approximately 0.65 g of cannabis. The defendant was taken to Albury police
station. He declined to be
interviewed but in an electronically recorded
conversation he claimed no knowledge of the offences, denied that he had been to
the
street in question and said he had been at home all day. The defendant made
admissions concerning the knife and the drugs and stated
he generally carried
the knife for protection but had it on his person at this time because he
received a phone call that his girlfriend
had been hit by a car and he had
“armed up” to attend a location to assist her. Further, he said that
he had the cannabis
in his possession as he used cannabis because he suffers
from cancer.
- The
defendant pleaded guilty to the following three charges arising out of his
conduct on 30 March 2016 and he was committed to the
District Court for
sentence:
- (1) aggravated
enter a dwelling with intent and armed;
- (2) take and
detain a person with intent to obtain advantage; and
- (3) recklessly
causing grievous bodily harm.
- In
addition, the following four charges were referred to the District Court under s
166:
- (1) use
intimidation or violence to unlawfully influence person;
- (2) assault
occasioning actual bodily harm in a domestic violence context
- (3) custody of
a knife in a public place; and
- (4) possessing
a prohibited drug, cannabis.
- On
30 November 2016, an aggregate sentence of three years commencing on 30 March
2016 with a non-parole period of one year and 10
months was imposed by Baly DCJ
in respect of all charges. In her remarks on sentence, her Honour was of the
view that the offences
could only be explained as being “the spontaneous
actions of a confused and irrational individual affected by drugs”.
In
addition, she did not find that the defendant had demonstrated remorse. It was
noted that while the relationship between the defendant
and IC was described as
“problematic” it was so “because of the [defendant’s]
misuse of alcohol, misuse of
drugs and his offending”. Her Honour found
that there were some prospects of rehabilitation, but she remained guarded. She
also could not find that he was unlikely to reoffend and noted that the
pre-sentence report indicated that the defendant was assessed
as having a high
to medium likelihood of reoffending. In particular, the learned sentencing judge
said:
“There is a need for assistance to address alcohol abuse and drug abuse.
The [defendant] will require considerable assistance,
when he is on parole, in
order to achieve rehabilitation and to reintegrate into the community. There is
also, in my view, a danger
of
institutionalisation.”
Conduct following release to
parole
- On
29 January 2018, the defendant was released to supervised parole. A breach of
parole report was submitted on 31 January 2018 as
the defendant failed to attend
to attain assistance with temporary accommodation and it was unknown where he
was residing. No action
was taken on this breach.
- In
March 2018, the defendant was found eligible for and commenced management under
electronic monitoring as part of the domestic violence
offender monitoring
program. He was largely non-compliant with monitoring, including deviations from
the schedule, entering exclusion
zones, failure to maintain his monitoring
equipment and being unresponsive to telephone calls.
- On
1 May 2018, the defendant tested positive on a urinalysis for cannabis and
methamphetamines. He was returned to custody on 16 May
2018 and released to
parole again on 7 August 2018. The defendant did not comply with his schedule
the very next day and continued
his general non-compliance until his parole was
again revoked and he was returned to custody on 18 October 2018.
- As
has been noted above, his sentence was due to expire on 31 March 2019 but
interim detention orders were made providing for his
continuing in custody until
midnight on 23 June 2019.
Psychiatric assessment after the index
offences
- It
appears that the defendant was psychiatrically assessed in 1995, while in
custody. It also appears that there was no further psychiatric
assessment of the
defendant until he was examined by Dr Shweta Sharma, a psychiatrist, on 26 March
2019 after he was transferred
from the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre
to Long Bay Hospital.
- Dr
Sharma recorded that, at the time of her examination, the defendant was very
irritable and refused to engage initially. When he
did engage, he was noted to
be thought disordered and experiencing delusions of a persecutory and somatic
nature. He believed “it
was a set up” and that he had bone marrow
cancer. He was convinced that a police officer was going to kill him and that he
had firebombed the house of the police officer in “self-defence”. He
refused to undergo recommended physical examination
and blood tests. He had been
suffering these symptoms of thought disorder, and the persecutory and somatic
delusions for at least
three years. Dr Sharma diagnosed the defendant with
schizophrenia. She also concluded that he met the criteria for substance use
disorder (cannabis and stimulants). He was commenced on clopixol depot, a
long-acting intramuscular antipsychotic medication.
- The
defendant was required to be reviewed by the Mental Health Review Tribunal
(MHRT), under s 59 of the Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act
1990 (NSW).
- By
23 May 2019, Dr Sharma could report that the defendant’s compliance with
medication was good and his psychotic symptoms had
resolved after a few weeks of
treatment, so that all his delusions had resolved and he no longer believed that
he had bone marrow
cancer.
Significance of the recent diagnosis
and treatment
- This
recent diagnosis and apparently effective treatment of the defendant, under the
supervision of the MHRT, is very significant
in this matter. The defendant, in
his written submissions, expressly said that he:
“accepts that any unacceptable risk that the Court may find he poses is
linked to an underlying mental illness which has never
before been treated.
Significant improvement has been achieved through the administration of
intramuscular antipsychotic medication.
Due to appropriate psychiatric diagnosis
and treatment, since the preliminary hearing, [the defendant’s] risk has
been considerably
ameliorated.”
- The
State, in its written submissions, did not appear to take a different approach
noting that the application for the CDO was still
pressed “in that further
stabilising of the defendant’s mental illness may be indicated prior to
release into the community,
in order to address the risk of serious
offending.”
- Consequently,
there was little, if any, dispute between the parties that the appropriate
structure of orders in the defendant’s
case, given the recent diagnosis
and apparently effective treatment of his mental illness, was for a limited CDO,
followed by a more
lengthy ESO with appropriate conditions. The main areas of
contention were:
- (1) for how
long should the CDO be in place, a matter of weeks or up to a year; and
- (2) for how
long should the ESO be in place and what were the appropriate conditions to be
imposed.
- As
a result, much of the expert material concerning the risk posed by, and
management of, the defendant which predated the diagnosis
of his mental illness
was of less relevance to the determination of the issues on the final hearing of
this matter, than might otherwise
have been the case.
- Bearing
in mind the defendant’s recent diagnosis of schizophrenia and his positive
response to treatment, I next considered
the matters in ss 9(3) and 17(4)
of the CHRO Act.
Reports received from the persons appointed
under ss 7(4) or 15(4) – par (b)
- The
defendant was relevantly examined by two forensic psychiatrists who provided
reports to the Court as follows:
- (1) the reports
of Dr Andrew Ellis dated 12 May 2019 and 2 June 2019; and
- (2) the reports
of Dr Adam Martin dated 7 May 2019 and 31 May 2019.
- Dr
Ellis interviewed the defendant on 10 April 2019 and had a discussion with his
treating psychiatrist, Dr Sharma, on 15 April 2019.
In addition, Dr Ellis was
provided with documentation concerning the defendant’s criminal history,
his treatment while in custody,
risk assessment and risk management reports and
Corrective Services documentation.
- It
can be noted that Dr Ellis’s interview with the defendant was only about
two weeks after his diagnosis by Dr Sharma and the
commencement of treatment. At
that time, the defendant told Dr Ellis that:
“he was okay with taking medication, but was not sure that he needed it.
He said that ‘whatever you reckon I will do’.
He said that he would
wear a global position system tracker. He said he would have difficulty
scheduling his movements and would
prefer to live in Albury as he did not know
Sydney, or anyone who lived here.”
- As
to his diagnosis, Dr Ellis’s opinion was that, the defendant at that
time:
- (1) The
defendant presented with symptoms consistent with a psychotic disorder. The
defendant presented in a less disturbed manner
than in earlier clinical
interviews, probably because of the effect of antipsychotic medication reducing
his experience of delusions
and hallucinations. Nonetheless, he still
experienced a somatic delusion that he had a type of cancer. In addition, Dr
Ellis thought
it likely that he held delusions of infidelity about his
ex-partner and a complex series of persecutory delusions concerning a conspiracy
to sabotage his cleaning business and previous conspiracy by police against him.
Dr Ellis was of the view that to determine whether
the defendant’s
psychotic disorder was due to organic damage to the brain or whether he suffered
from a functional mental illness
such as schizophrenia would require further
investigation. It was not likely, in the doctor’s opinion, that substance
use was
the sole cause of his psychotic symptoms.
- (2) The
defendant met criteria for a substance use disorder, particularly cannabis, but
also, historically, alcohol and stimulants.
Although this disorder was in
remission in a controlled environment, it had become a chronic condition.
- (3) The
defendant presented with coarsened attitudes to violence, impulsive behaviour,
irresponsibility and disregard for others.
However, it would be premature to
diagnose an antisocial personality disorder at this stage.
- As
to whether the defendant suffered from a neurocognitive disorder, Dr Ellis was
of the view that his poor cognitive performance
might be the result of resolving
psychosis and antipsychotic medication and so this question should be further
evaluated once his
treatment was better consolidated and other investigations
had been completed.
- In
assessing the risk posed by the defendant of committing further serious
offences, particularly personal violence offences, Dr Ellis
made reference to
the HCR – 20 V3 structured professional judgement tool which has been
widely used clinically and in research
to assess risk for violence. In the
absence of any treatment or supervision, Dr Ellis was of the view that the
defendant would fall
into a group of persons with a risk for violent offending
that is statistically high in frequency with potential for serious consequences
in his specific case and more than a theoretical average offender. Dr Ellis
considered that the defendant’s victims were likely
to be adults with whom
he had some interaction and conflict but it could also include strangers in the
context of an acquisitive
or other offence. Police or other officers with whom
he was required to interact would be at particular risk given the history of
likely delusions about police. Dr Ellis also said that the history of using
weapons rendered it foreseeable that the defendant could
engage in violence that
escalated to a serious level.
- In
this context, Dr Ellis also noted that there were difficulties in assessing his
anticipated future problems associated with violence
as the defendant had only
very recently commenced the appropriate psychiatric treatment. It was also noted
that the potential for
relapse to drug use or more severe psychotic states and
poor stress management outside of close professional care was high and this
indicated a high need for professional services and plans to contain the
potential for violence.
- At
the time of preparing his first report Dr Ellis was of the view that, from a
psychiatric perspective, further incarceration of
the defendant under a CDO
would not be recommended, “other than to secure community accommodation
that can allow his ongoing
psychiatric treatment”. At the same time, it
was observed that management in the community would pose challenges,
particularly
in relation to his ability to follow rules and structure and to be
honest with supervising and treating staff, whilst he remained
delusional. The
failures on his recent release to parole were noted not to have risen to the
level of a serious violent offence even
when he was not being treated for his
psychotic illness.
- Dr
Ellis was of the view that the mainstay of effective risk management in the
defendant’s case was treatment of his psychosis.
In this regard, the
defendant required further evaluation to assess whether a neurocognitive
disorder underlay the psychosis. For
this purpose he should be referred to a
forensic psychiatrist to coordinate further cognitive evaluation and for
prescription of
appropriate medication related to substance use and
psychosis.
- In
the context of the defendant’s requirements for treatment and evaluation,
I particularly noted Dr Ellis’s view that:
“[h]is level of insight might improve, however he would likely need
ongoing treatment in hospital or with a community treatment
order under the
Mental Health Act 2007.
He would require accommodation, and may need placement in a COSP at first to
secure this.”
- In
his supplementary report of 2 June 2019, Dr Ellis noted that the defendant had
been placed under a forensic community treatment
order (FCTO) and he had
responded well to long-acting injection antipsychotic treatment. The delusions
initially noted were thought
to have resolved and his cognitive performance had
improved.
- Dr
Ellis agreed with Dr Martin’s diagnosis of schizophrenia and substance use
disorder. As to his “long-term pattern of
risk”, Dr Ellis was of the
view that this would remain similar as the current response relied on the
continued compliance which
had yet to be substantially tested.
- As
to Dr Martin’s view that the Forensic Hospital was the most appropriate
placement for the defendant, Dr Ellis noted that,
in his initial report, he
considered the hospital placement may be required to treat his psychotic
symptoms but was of the view that
placement in supported accommodation such as a
COSP or mental health supported housing would be more appropriate. Dr Ellis also
said
that the defendant would only fulfil the relevant criteria for admission to
the Forensic Hospital if no safe and effective community
placement were
reasonably available.
- Dr
Martin interviewed the defendant on 1 May 2019 and also reviewed similar
documentation to that reviewed by Dr Ellis. Dr Martin’s
diagnosis was that
the defendant:
- (1) “clearly
has schizophrenia”;
- (2) fulfils
diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder (amphetamines and cannabis);
and
- (3) has an
offending history, going back to his childhood, that is suggestive of an
underlying antisocial personality disorder.
- Dr
Martin was of the view that all of these mental health conditions should be seen
as chronic and enduring, although they may be
amenable to management and
responding to psychiatric medication and psychotherapy intervention in an
appropriate setting.
- In
Dr Martin’s opinion, the defendant posed a high risk of further serious
violent offending. That risk would be significantly
decreased, however, if the
defendant continued to engage in assertive psychiatric treatment legally
mandated and if his situation
were to be controlled such that he had no access
to illicit substances and weapons. Dr Martin said:
“In essence, I am advocating for him to be treated as a mental health
patient in an appropriate secure therapeutic setting
so that his forensic
psychiatric needs can be met, thus reducing risk of
violence.”
- In
his report, Dr Martin went on to identify the appropriate forensic psychiatric
facility as the Forensic Hospital and said:
“In my view, he should be accommodated within a secure therapeutic setting
such as at the Forensic Hospital, and should have
a very slow and graduated
discharge trajectory through the medium secure mental health setting before
moving to the community. In
my view, he is likely to have ongoing problems with
treatment response, and stress or coping. However, it is plausible that he might
experience a significant improvement in his mental state with ongoing
prescription of appropriate antipsychotic medication and in
my view, he should
be considered for prescription of Clozapine in a secure and monitored
setting.”
- In
Dr Martin’s view, the defendant was “not safe to be in the community
in his current mental state”, although that
situation might change over
time with assertive psychiatric intervention. The doctor also
noted:
“[The defendant] has severely impaired insight and a track record of not
abiding by conditions, and in my view, release into
the community under an ESO
will be ‘setting him up to fail’ and will not appropriately manage
the risk issues.”
- Nonetheless,
Dr Martin was of the view that a CDO would not provide “an appropriate
therapeutic setting. ... A more appropriate
setting ... would be a secure
psychiatric hospital such as the Forensic Hospital.”
- It
is supplementary report of 31 May 2019, Dr Martin noted that the overall opinion
expressed in his original report had not changed,
even though he had been
provided with further documentation that had been provided to the MHRT in
relation to the application for
an FCTO. In particular, Dr Martin
said:
“It is reasonable to accept that as a consequence of positive response to
psychiatric treatment that his risk of future violence
will be reduced. However,
in saying that, it is foreseeable that in the future, if in a less controlled
environment [such as the
community], that he might relapse into substance use
and experience a relapse of his psychotic condition, thereby increasing his
risk
of violence. In my view, it will be premature for him to be in the community at
this stage. My preferred management plan, as
stated before, would be for him to
be admitted to a forensic psychiatric unit such as at the Forensic Hospital or
possibly a medium
secure unit such as at Cumberland, Bloomfield or Morisset
Hospitals. In my view, he is likely to need a reasonably lengthy forensic
admission.”
- In
cross-examination, both doctors agreed that, in the defendant’s case, a
period of stability was required to ensure, firstly,
consistent response to the
medication and, secondly, developing insight into his offending and his mental
condition and treatment.
Dr Martin also observed that management of mental
illness involved not just taking medication but also structure, supervision,
restriction
from illicit substances, having a stable environment, having regular
monitoring and, in the defendant’s case, psychological
interventions
around anger management and basic psychoeducation.
- Dr
Ellis was of the view that the defendant might require hospitalisation depending
on the timing and depending on his response to
treatment and that release into
the community with a community treatment order would only be effected if there
was supported accommodation
available. In other words, according to Dr Ellis in
cross-examination:
“If there's no [COSP or ISC] accommodation identified, then an ESO can't
effectively be implemented, and in that circumstance,
even if he's very mentally
well, given his previous difficulties with compliance and given his risks that
he's presented when he's
been mentally unwell, he would then be considered a
mentally ill person in my view, and a mentally ill person that would require
hospital care.”
- According
to Dr Ellis, admission to the Forensic Hospital would require a referral from
either Corrective Services or the Correctional
Mental Health Service to the
hospital. In this context, Dr Ellis also noted that in many ways the Forensic
Hospital was as secure
as any high security prison and the defendant was more
likely to receive effective therapy in that setting. Dr Martin and Dr Ellis
were
of the view that stabilisation of the defendant in an environment such as the
Forensic Hospital would be expected to take in
the order of 6 to 12 months
initially. From the Forensic Hospital, if there were a safe and effective mental
health treatment facility,
for example in Albury, the defendant could be
“stepped down” to that facility while still an involuntary patient,
and
then be released into the community under an ESO, which would have been
suspended while he was an involuntary patient.
- Doctors
Ellis and Marten were also all the view that the defendant’s residing with
his 18-year-old son would not be a suitable
form of accommodation to allow the
risk posed by the defendant to be appropriately managed.
- Dr
Ellis, who is also the Superintendent of the Forensic Hospital, also gave
evidence in cross-examination that, if the Court made
a CDO pending the referral
and admission of the defendant to the Forensic Hospital and an ESO to take
effect when he ceased to be
an involuntary patient, the Forensic Hospital could
be expected to respond to the referral within a time frame of about two months.
There would be a number of things to be put in place but the main one would be
ensuring that the hospital had a bed available for
the defendant.
- There
was no significant disagreement between the psychiatrists as to the
defendant’s diagnosis and the level of risk posed
by the defendant, if he
did not receive appropriate treatment for his mental conditions or if he
relapsed into illicit substance
use. Furthermore, there was little difference
between them concerning the appropriate approach to the management of the risk
posed
by the defendant. Both in effect accepted that the defendant’s
continued detention in a corrective facility was not appropriate
in the
circumstances and nor was immediate release into the community under an ESO
appropriate.
- In
the absence of suitable accommodation in the COSP or an ISP, the psychiatrists
also effectively agreed that admission to the Forensic
Hospital was the most
appropriate course and that it was likely that the defendant would be required
to receive treatment there,
as an involuntary patient, for approximately 6 to 12
months initially.
- This
evidence of the psychiatrists was well reasoned, supported by their particular
areas of expertise and consistent with the material
before the Court. I accepted
that evidence.
- It
is appropriate to note at this point, in relation to the availability of
suitable accommodation for the defendant, other than the
Forensic
Hospital:
- (1) Ms Kim
Ward, the manager of the Nunyara Community Offender Support Program Centre,
often referred to as COSP, assessed the defendant
for his eligibility to be
admitted in March 2019 and concluded that he was unsuitable for placement at the
centre because the staff
were not trained mental health workers and were unable
to offer the level of care the defendant was being provided at that time.
It was
also a concern to her that the defendant had made threats to prison staff and
was dismissive, argumentative and abusive to
staff. Ms Ward reassessed the
defendant for eligibility in June 2019, in the light of material relating to his
mental health at that
time and the MHRT’s decision to make an FCTO. She
concluded that he remained ineligible at that time because, among other reasons,
he had not demonstrated stability or compliance with medication and treatment
outside of a mental health environment.
- (2) Ms Alecia
Nolan, acting manager of the Campbelltown Integration Support Centre (ISC), also
gave evidence. She noted that the gates
of the facility, while they were closed
at night, were not locked and staff would not compel residents to stay should
they attempt
to leave. It was also the resident’s responsibility to manage
his own prescription medication and attend all appointments at
community mental
health. On 13 June 2019, she assessed the defendant’s eligibility to be
admitted to the ISC. She formed the
view that he was not eligible on a number of
grounds including: his diagnosis with schizophrenia and that he was a mentally
ill person,
as confirmed by the MHRT; the defendant’s failure to give
written agreement to commit to the requirements of the ISC’s
program as
well as informed consent when agreeing to the conditions of his stay; the
defendant’s negative attitude towards
child sex offenders, who make up a
substantial proportion of the persons who are housed at the ISC; the risk posed
by the defendant
to residents and the staff of the ISC; the defendant’s
history of illicit drug use and the fact that he has not completed substance
abuse treatment; and the views of Dr Martin that the defendant should be for
referred to a forensic psychiatric unit and that it
would be premature for him
to be in the community.
- (3) Ms Kirsty
Ruecroft, Community Corrections Officer, provided a supplementary risk
management report dated 14 June 2019 concerning
the defendant. That report
included evidence as to the steps that had been taken to find other suitable
accommodation for the defendant
in the community. In the light of the
defendant’s psychiatric condition, refusals to provide required consent
forms, offending
history, drug and alcohol abuse history and/or his untested
ability to live in the community without reoffending, no other suitable
accommodation could be identified by Ms Ruecroft.
- Having
regard to this evidence, I accepted that, at the present time, there was no
suitable accommodation for which the defendant
would be eligible, other than the
Forensic Hospital or some similar psychiatric facility, which could provide the
stable and secure
treatment and care which the defendant currently
required.
Other risk assessments and risk management reports
– pars (c), (d) and (d1)
- An
initial Risk Assessment Report dated 20 December 2018 had been prepared by Ms
Gillian Tulloh, senior psychologist at the South
Coast Correctional Centre. In
that report, she was of the opinion that the defendant’s risk of further
violent reoffending
was high based on static, unchangeable factors and backed up
by the identification of a number of criminogenic needs. Ms Tulloh said
that
there were no programs available in the community that would adequately address
all of the defendant’s identified treatment
needs and risk factors at an
intensity that was commensurate with his risk level.
- Ms
Tulloh also noted that the defendant had been quite open and adamant that he
would continue to use cannabis regardless of any sanctions
placed upon him and
displayed a lack of insight into his offending and substance abuse.
- Ms
Tulloh prepared supplementary Risk Assessment Reports of 1 March 2019 and 11
June 2019. In the later report, Ms Tulloh said:
“In order for [the defendant] to substantially reduce his risk of
offending violently he would need to develop insight into
the relationship
between his mental illness and violence and maintain positive gains (such as
medication compliance) for an extended
period of time and have withstood
challenges across a variety of contexts, that is, across custody and community.
Historically [the
defendant] has been very compliant in custody; it is his
non-compliance in the community which is most
problematic.”
- For
the purposes of the 11 June 2019 report, Ms Tulloh also reviewed her assessment
of the risk posed by the defendant in the light
of the information contained in,
among other things, Dr Martin’s and Dr Ellis’s original and
supplementary reports. She
concluded that even taking that information into
account, the defendant remained “at high risk of reoffending”. In
this
regard, Ms Tulloh’s evidence was consistent with that of the
psychiatrists.
- On
9 January 2019, Marc Corcoran, a Senior Community Corrections Officer, prepared
a risk management report. He noted that an assessment
undertaken on 3 August
2018 placed the defendant within the medium to high risk level for general
re-offending. Mr Corcoran went
on to detail those conditions which could be
imposed as part of a risk management plan in the event that the defendant was
placed
on a supervision order. I took those matters into account.
- Dr
Gordon Elliott, a psychiatrist, had attempted a psychiatric assessment of the
defendant on 15 February 2019. However, the defendant
would not agree to undergo
assessment, became “aroused and angry” and left. Dr Elliott prepared
a report dated 18 February
2019, based largely on documentary material provided
to him. Ultimately, Dr Elliott was of the view that it was highly probable the
defendant would return to substance use on release and thereby further increase
his already high risk of violent re-offending and
that he required assertive
psychiatric assessment and observation.
- To
the extent that these reports remained relevant since the defendant’s
diagnosis of, and commencement of treatment for, schizophrenia,
or postdate
that, they were consistent with the opinions of, and approaches recommended by,
Drs Ellis and Martin. On that basis,
I accepted that
evidence.
Participation by the defendant in treatment and
rehabilitation programs – par (e)
- It
did not appear that the defendant has completed any treatment or rehabilitation
programs in recent times. The defendant had generally
been unwilling to
participate. For example, he refused to complete a referral to the Violent
Offenders Therapeutic Program (VOTP)
in late 2017 and in October 2017 when he
was offered a place in the EQUIPS Addiction Program he declined to attend
stating that he
“didn’t want to do it”. He also declined to
attend the Health Survival Tip (HST) program in early 2018.
- Earlier,
in 2004 and 1995 – 1996, the defendant had participated in some programs
in custody relating to drug and alcohol awareness
and relapse prevention, anger
management and alcohol and violence protection. The lack of effectiveness of
these programs in the
defendant’s case can be judged from his subsequent
offending.
Options that might reduce the defendant’s
likelihood of reoffending, if in custody or in the community – pars
(e1)
- Having
regard to the evidence of the psychiatrists, Dr Ellis and Dr Martin, and the
reports of Ms Tulloh and Mr Corcoran, I found
that effective options available
to reduce the likelihood of the defendant’s reoffending over time
fundamentally involved:
- (1) his
receiving treatment for his schizophrenia and substance use disorder in a secure
and stable environment, such as the Forensic
Hospital, for a sufficient period
for him to achieve stability and to develop insight both into his disorders and
into his past offending;
- (2) moving into
stepdown mental health accommodation, potentially still as an involuntary
patient, to establish his ability and willingness
to comply with conditions if
released into the community under an ESO; and
- (3) release
into the community under an ESO with conditions suitable to the
defendant’s circumstances at that time.
- The
other options would not, in my view, have reduced the likelihood of the
defendant’s reoffending over time. Continuing in
custody under a CDO,
while it might ensure that the defendant was removed from the community and thus
could not reoffend except in
the custodial environment, would not reduce the
likelihood of his reoffending once he was released. Release into the community
without
any supervision would be highly likely to lead to the defendant
reoffending within a short period for the reasons given by Dr Ellis,
Dr Martin,
Ms Tulloh and Dr Elliott. Immediate release into the community under an ESO,
without sufficient treatment and care to
ensure the defendant’s stability
and insight, would also be likely to lead to reoffending within a short time
frame given the
experience of his release to parole in 2018 and the prospect of
his relapsing into alcohol and illicit substance abuse and becoming
non-compliant with medication.
Whether the defendant would be
likely to comply with the obligations of an ESO – pars (e2)
- Essentially
for the same reasons as given in relation to the options to reduce the
defendant’s likelihood of reoffending over
time, in my view, if the
defendant were immediately released under an ESO, he would be unlikely to comply
with the obligations under
such an order. As already found above, the
defendant’s ability and willingness to comply with such obligations would
depend
on his receiving the treatment and support he needed in a secure and
stable environment such as the Forensic Hospital and any suitable
stepdown
mental health facilities that might become available, over a period of at least
6 to 12 months, as explained by Dr Ellis
and Dr Martin. It may be, in the
defendant’s case, that a longer period would be required but that would be
a matter for his
treating psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals
involved in his care and support at the relevant time.
The
defendant’s compliance with obligations while on release on parole –
par (f)
- The
defendant submitted that there have been periods when the defendant has been
released to parole in the 1990s and the 2000s and
he has not been found to have
breached parole or been convicted of any offences. So much might be accepted.
However, as has been
noted above, the defendant demonstrated an inability or
unwillingness to comply with parole conditions when most recently released
to
parole in 2018.
- This
and his recent diagnosis and treatment for schizophrenia and substance use
disorder supported the conclusion that the management
of the risk posed by the
defendant required his treatment in a secure and stable environment before the
Court could be satisfied
that the defendant was likely to be able and willing to
comply with the obligations under an ESO.
The defendant’s
criminal history and the pattern of offending disclosed – par (h)
- I
have set out above the defendant’s criminal history. There were numerous
offences of violence, some involving the police,
some his partner and other
adults with whom the defendant came into contact. One contravention of an AVO
involved his step-child.
Some of those offences involved the use of weapons such
as a homemade petrol bomb, a knife, a firearm and a bottle. The history
discloses
a disturbing pattern of armed, violent behaviour.
- The
index offending was also serious. It resulted in injuries being inflicted. It
was particularly disturbing that the defendant had,
on more than one occasion,
refused to accept responsibility for the offending and deflected the blame onto
others. This lack of insight
was one of the matters I found should be addressed
before the defendant could be considered for release into the community, even
with supervision.
- The
defendant’s regular use of illicit drugs, as well as alcohol, in the past
was also a concerning factor. In addition, a number
of the offences apparently
resulted from delusional and persecutory ideas linked to his schizophrenia.
There appeared to be a clear
link, on some occasions, between drug use, his
psychotic episodes and his offending.
- The
nature and causes of the offending, viewed as a whole, supported the approach of
ensuring that the defendant received appropriate
psychiatric and other treatment
and care in a suitably stable and secure environment, before being released into
the community on
an ESO.
The views of the sentencing Court
– par (h1)
- The
views of those judges who have previously sentenced the defendant were recorded
in their remarks on sentence. In May 1995, Twigg
QC DCJ noted the
defendant’s drug use and also observed that throwing “a bomb of this
kind towards a residence in a residential
area, not caring about possible
occupants or possible damages, is a crime of the most serious nature”
especially as “it
was done as a reprisal for some perceived misconduct and
an exaggerated perception harassment on him by [the Police officer]”.
- In
June 2002, Patten DCJ noted, when sentencing, that the offending on that
occasion had involved the use of a shotgun.
- When
sentencing the defendant in November 2016 in respect of the index offences Baly
SC DCJ referred to the defendant’s beliefs
concerning bone marrow cancer
and this being his justification for his use of cannabis. In addition to the
comments noted above,
her Honour found that his prospects of rehabilitation were
“guarded” and he had a medium to high risk of re-offending.
- These
views, and the other material contained in the various remarks on sentence, were
not inconsistent with and in many cases supported
the need for the defendant to
receive appropriate treatment and support before he could be released into the
community, even supervised.
Other information as to the
defendant’s likelihood of committing a further serious offence – par
(i)
- The
defendant accepted at par 43 of his written submissions that the Court
might be satisfied that [the defendant] posed a risk of
committing a further
serious offence but submitted that there were:
“a number of matters that lessen that risk and weigh in favour of an ESO
rather than a CDO:
a. [The defendant] has consistently behaved well while
in custody;
b. Although his response to parole in 2018 was problematic, there was no violent
reoffending and his mental illness was untreated
at this time;
c. [The defendant] has successfully completed parole in the past;
d. [The defendant] has had significant gaps in offending while in the community;
and
e. [The defendant] has a solid past history of employment, both in the community
and in custody.”
- I
accepted that the defendant had periods which lasted a number of years when he
was not convicted of any offences. I also accepted
that he completed periods on
parole in the past without being found to have breached his conditions and he
had been employed in the
community and in custody. I took these matters into
account but they were required to be balanced against his most recent failures
on parole and the other matters already identified.
Does the
defendant pose a relevant unacceptable risk so as to justify a CDO and/or an
ESO?
- As
has been noted above, in the present case the principal issue was whether the
Court was satisfied to a “high degree of probability”
that the
defendant posed an “unacceptable risk” of committing another serious
offence if not kept:
- (1) under
supervision under the ESO; or
- (2) in
detention under the CDO.
- The
genesis and nature of the risk posed by the defendant, if he were released at
this time, were identified in detail in the reports
and oral evidence of Dr
Ellis and Dr Martin, as well as the reports of Ms Tulloh and the other evidence
which was consistent with
that evidence. I relied upon that evidence and the
other evidence concerning the lack of alternative accommodation and other
relevant
matters when making my findings, including those set out above. It is
unnecessary to repeat that material here. Even taking all of
the matters relied
upon by the defendant into account, in my view, the overwhelming weight of the
evidence that I accepted was that
the likelihood of the defendant committing
further serious offences would be substantially minimised if he received
treatment and
care in a suitably safe and secure psychiatric facility for at
least 6 to 12 months prior to it being likely to be appropriate for
the
defendant to be released into the community on an ESO. Absent such treatment and
care, I was satisfied to the requisite standard
that the likelihood of him
committing further serious offences, once released either with or without
supervision, would remain unacceptably
high.
What particular
orders should be made?
- The
situation appeared to me to be similar to the situation with which the Court had
to deal in State of New South Wales v Windle (No. 3) [2017] NSWSC 727
(Windle (No. 3)). In particular, I bore in mind the comments of Johnson J
in that case at [131] to [156] and [171] to [176] and, where applicable,
I
adopted his Honour’s reasoning and approach. The comments which follow
should be understood against that background.
- In
the circumstances of this case, I was satisfied to a high degree of probability
that the defendant posed an unacceptable risk of
committing another serious
offence if not kept in detention under a CDO. However, that finding was limited
to the period during which
it would be necessary for accommodation to be found
for the defendant at, and his admission arranged to, the Forensic Hospital or
some similar safe and secure mental health facility, as an involuntary patient.
According to Drs Ellis and Martin, the defendant
would require such treatment
and care as an involuntary patient for at least six to twelve months. In
reaching the conclusion that
detention under a CDO was justified, I also took
into account that the defendant was presently housed in the Hamden area of the
Metropolitan
Remand and Reception Centre. In the Hamden area, the defendant had
access to some mental health assistance and support which would
not be available
if he were transferred to another correctional facility or area. If the
defendant’s accommodation within the
custodial system changed, a different
conclusion might be reached.
- To
facilitate the timely consideration of whether the defendant should be admitted
to the Forensic Hospital or similar facility by
his treating psychiatrist in
custody, I included in the orders the notation in par 9 that the Court
would be assisted by:
- (1) the
defendant’s treating psychiatrist and, if appropriate, other healthcare
practitioners preparing a report or reports
as to whether the defendant should
be referred or admitted to the Forensic Hospital or another mental health
facility, having regard
to the defendant’s current mental health status
and the absence of suitable accommodation as disclosed in the evidence in this
matter; and
- (2) such
reports or reports being prepared and furnished to the Crown Solicitor’s
Office by 19 July 2019.
- In
the present case, the MHRT determined that an FCTO until 22 November 2019 was
appropriate in the defendant’s case, subject
to an earlier review. This
date then was, in my view, the date which should constitute the outer limit of
the period of the CDO,
noting that such an order was designed to protect the
community while facilitating the transfer of the defendant to the Forensic
Hospital or an equivalent facility.
- If
the defendant was to be admitted to the Forensic Hospital or other similar
facility as an involuntary patient, as envisaged by
Dr Martin and Dr Ellis, it
appeared to me that the CDO would have to be revoked for the reasons given by
Johnson J in Windle (No. 3) at [136]. Consequently, an application to
revoke the CDO immediately prior to the defendant’s admission to the
Forensic Hospital
or other similar facility, would be required and could be made
under s 19(1B) of the CHRO Act. To allow this to occur efficiently,
I
included in the orders liberty to apply directly to me.
- In
addition, I remained satisfied to a high degree of probability that the
defendant would at that time continue to pose an unacceptable
risk of committing
another serious offence if not kept under supervision of an ESO, because of the
risk of relapsing into illicit
substance or alcohol abuse or failure to comply
with medication and treatment regimes, absent such an order. However, if an ESO
was
made, it would be suspended while the defendant was an involuntary patient,
under s 10(1A) of the CHRO Act. Further, that period
of suspension would
not count as part of the period during which the ESO would be operative, under
s 10(1)(b). To assist the defendant
to understand this aspect of the
orders, I specifically noted the matters in pars 7 and 8 of the
orders.
- After
discharge from the Forensic Hospital or other similar facility, any ESO imposed
at this time would commence operation. It was
difficult, at this stage, to
determine exactly what period and conditions would be most appropriate for the
ESO at that time in the
future. Accordingly, it appeared most appropriate to
make the ESO for the shorter period of 3 years contended for by the defendant,
commencing from the expiration or earlier revocation of the CDO, but subject to
the relatively standard conditions proposed by the
State, noting that an
application could be made for a variation of any aspect of the ESO, under
s 13 of the CHRO Act, if it transpired
that different conditions or a
different period appeared more appropriate at a later time. In these
circumstances, it was not necessary
to consider in detail the specific
submissions made concerning particular conditions.
- In
addition, orders 5 and 6 were made in order to facilitate the treatment of the
defendant and the implementation of the CDO and
the
ESO.
Orders
- For
all of these reasons, on 21 June 2019, I made the following
orders:
- (1) Pursuant to
s 17(1)(b) of the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW) (the
CHRO Act), the defendant is subject to a continuing detention order (CDO) for a
period of 5 months and 3 days commencing
on 21 June 2019 and expiring on 23
November 2019.
- (2) Pursuant to
ss 17(1)(a) and 25B of the CHRO Act, the defendant is subject to an
extended supervision order (ESO) for a period
of three years commencing
immediately upon the expiration of the CDO referred to in order 1 or its earlier
revocation by the Court.
- (3) Pursuant to
s 11 of the CHRO Act, for the period of the ESO referred to in order 2, the
defendant is directed to comply with the
conditions of supervision set out in
the schedule to this order (see below).
- (4) Pursuant to
s 20(1) of the CHRO Act, a warrant is to issue for the committal of the
defendant to a correctional centre for the
purpose of order 1.
- (5) The parties
have liberty to apply to Wright J on 2 days’ notice concerning the
implementation, variation or revocation of
these orders.
- (6) The
pseudonym order made by N Adams J on 22 May 2019 is varied to the extent
necessary to permit the reports of Dr Ellis and Dr
Martin, the transcript of
proceedings and any other relevant evidence in this matter to be provided to the
defendant’s treating
psychiatrist or other healthcare practitioners to
assist their consideration of whether the defendant should be referred or
admitted
to a suitable mental health facility, including the Forensic
Hospital.
and noted that:
(7) Pursuant to s 10(2) of the CHRO Act, the defendant's obligations under
the ESO referred to in orders 2 and 3 are suspended while
the defendant is in
lawful custody whether under this or any other Act or law.
(8) Lawful custody for the purposes of s 10(2) of the CHRO Act may include
detention as an involuntary patient in a mental health
facility under the
Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW), or escorted leave from any such facility,
at least in circumstances where the defendant's freedom is directly controlled
and
limited.
(9) The Court would be assisted by:
- (a) the
defendant’s treating psychiatrist and, if appropriate, other healthcare
practitioners preparing a report or reports
as to whether the defendant should
be referred or admitted to the Forensic Hospital or another mental health
facility, having regard
to the defendant’s current mental health status
and the absence of suitable accommodation as disclosed in the evidence in this
matter; and
- (b) such
reports or reports being prepared and furnished to the Crown Solicitor’s
Office by 19 July 2019.
**********
SCHEDULE OF CONDITIONS OF SUPERVISION
[CT], THE DEFENDANT
Departmental Supervising Officer (DSO)
Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW)
Part A: Reporting and Monitoring Obligations
Monitoring and Reporting
The defendant must accept the supervision of Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW)
until the end of the order.
The defendant must report to the Departmental Supervising Officer (DSO) or
any other person supervising him as directed by the DSO.
The defendant must follow all reasonable directions by his DSO or any other
person supervising him.
Electronic Monitoring
The defendant must wear electronic monitoring equipment as directed by the
DSO or any other person supervising him.
Schedule of Movements
If directed, the defendant must provide a weekly plan (called a schedule of
movements) and this is to be provided 3 days before it
is due to start.
If the defendant wants to change anything in his schedule of movements once
it is approved by his DSO, he must tell his DSO about
the change 24 hours in
advance, or any other period as directed by his DSO.
The defendant must not deviate from his approved schedule of movements except
in an emergency.
The defendant must truthfully answer questions from his DSO, or any other
person supervising him, about where he is, where he is going
and what he is
doing.
Part B: Accommodation
The defendant must live at an address approved by his DSO.
The defendant must be at his approved address between 9:00pm to 6:00am unless
other arrangements are approved by his DSO.
The defendant must allow his DSO or any other person supervising him to visit
him at his approved address at any time and, for that
purpose, to enter the
premises at that address.
The defendant must not spend the night anywhere other than his approved
address without the approval of his DSO.
The defendant must not permit any person to enter and remain, or to stay
overnight, at his approved address, without the prior approval
of his DSO (which
approval may be given generally for nominated individuals or in respect of
specific occasions).
Part C: Place and travel restrictions
The defendant must not leave New South Wales without the approval of
CSNSW.
The defendant must surrender any passports held by the defendant to the
Commissioner.
The defendant must not go to a place if his DSO tells him he cannot go
there.
Part D: Employment, finance and education
If the defendant is unemployed, the defendant must enter available employment
if and as directed by the DSO or make himself available
for employment,
education, training or participation in a personal development program as
directed by the DSO.
The defendant must not start any job, volunteer work or educational course
without the approval of his DSO.
The defendant must provide any information relating to his financial affairs,
including income and expenditure, if directed by his
DSO.
Part E: Drugs and alcohol
The defendant must not possess or use alcohol.
The defendant must not possess or use illegal drugs, and he must not possess
or use prescription medication other than as prescribed.
The defendant must submit to testing for drugs and alcohol as directed by his
DSO.
The defendant must not enter any licensed premises without the approval of
his DSO, other than licensed cafes or restaurants.
The defendant must attend and participate in programmes and courses for drug
and alcohol rehabilitation as directed by his DSO, and
must not discharge
himself from such programs and courses without prior approval of his DSO.
Part F: Non-association
Associations with Others (not children)
The defendant must not associate with people that his DSO tells him not
to.
The defendant must not knowingly associate with any people who are consuming
or under the influence of illegal drugs.
The defendant must not knowingly associate with any people who are consuming
or under the influence of alcohol without the prior approval
of his DSO.
The defendant must not engage in the use of sex workers without the prior
approval of his DSO.
If the defendant starts a relationship with someone, he has to tell his DSO
who may want to tell the person about his criminal history.
The defendant must obtain written permission from the DSO prior to joining or
affiliating with any club or organisation, including
any Internet or
mobile-based social networking service.
Part G: Weapons
The defendant must not possess or use any firearm within the meaning of s.4
of the Firearms Act 1996 or prohibited weapon as defined in s.4 and
Schedule 1 of the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998.
Part H: Access to the internet and other electronic communication
The defendant must give his DSO a list of all devices, services and
applications he uses to communicate with or to access the Internet.
This
includes phones, tablet devices, data storage devices or computers. This
includes the details of telephone numbers, service
provider account
numbers, email addresses or other user names and relevant passwords and codes,
used by the defendant and the nature
and details of the Internet connection, as
directed.
The DSO (or any other person requested by the DSO) may remotely inspect any
Internet account used by the defendant, including the
defendant's email
addresses, in monitoring compliance with this order.
The defendant must obey any reasonable directions by his DSO about the use of
phones, tablet devices, data storage devices, computers
and other devices,
including any reasonable directions relating to his access to the Internet.
The defendant must allow his telephone and/or Internet service provider to
share information about his accounts with his DSO.
The defendant must provide a list of communication devices and data storage
devices in the defendant’s possession and advise
the DSO of any change to
the inventory immediately.
Part I: Search and seizure
If the DSO reasonably believes that a search (of the type referred to in
sub-paragraphs d to g below) is necessary:
for the safety and welfare of residents or staff or persons present at the
defendant’s approved address;
to monitor the defendant’s compliance with this order; or
because the DSO reasonably suspects the defendant of behaviour or conduct
associated with an increased risk of the defendant committing
a serious
offence;
then the DSO may direct, and the defendant must submit to:
search and inspection of any part of, or any thing in, the defendant’s
approved address;
search and inspection of any part of, or any thing in, any vehicle owned,
hired by or under the control of the defendant;
search and inspection of any part of, or any thing in, any storage facility,
including a garage, locker or commercial facility owned,
hired by or under the
control of the defendant; and/or
search and examination of his person.
For the purposes of the above condition:
a search of the defendant means a garment search or a pat-down search.
to the extent practicable a pat-down search will be conducted by a DSO of the
same sex as the defendant, or by an Officer of CSNSW
of the same sex as the
defendant under the direction of the DSO.
NOTE:
"Garment search" means a search of any article of clothing worn by the
defendant or in the defendant's possession, where the article of clothing
is
touched or removed from the person's body.
"Pat-down search" means a search of a person where the person's
clothed body is touched.
During a search carried out pursuant to condition 37 above, the defendant
must allow the DSO (or any other person requested by the
DSO) to seize anything
found, whether in the defendant's possession or not, which the DSO reasonably
suspects will compromise:
the safety of residents or of staff at the defendant's approved address;
the welfare or safety of any member of the public or any other person; or
the defendant's compliance with this order;
or which the DSO reasonably suspects relates to behaviour or conduct
associated with an increased risk of the defendant committing
a serious
offence.
The defendant must allow CSNSW to search any phone, tablet device, data
storage device or computer that he may use.
The defendant must not attempt to destroy or interfere with any object that
is the subject of a search or seizure, carried out pursuant
to conditions 37 to
40 above.
Part J: Personal details and appearance
The defendant must not change his name from “[CT]” or use
any other name without the approval of his DSO.
The defendant must not use any alias, log-in name, or a name other than
“[CT]” or use any email address other than those known to the
DSO under condition 32 above, on any Internet site (including social networking
sites), any online communication applications or any third party sites or
applications that requires the user to have a user identification
name or log-in
email.
The defendant must not change his appearance without the approval of his
DSO.
The defendant must let CSNSW photograph him.
If the defendant changes the details of any current form of identification or
obtains further forms of identification, he must provide
the DSO with such
details.
Part K: Medical intervention and treatment
The defendant must notify his DSO of the identity and address of any
healthcare practitioner that he consults.
Except if he has a reasonable excuse for not attending, the defendant must
attend all psychological and psychiatric assessments, therapy,
support and
treatment that his DSO tells him to attend.
Except if he has a reasonable excuse for not taking the medication, the
defendant must take all medications that are prescribed to
him by his healthcare
practitioners.
If the defendant knowingly ceases to take medication that has been
prescribed, either on a temporary or permanent basis, the defendant
is to notify
the DSO within 24 hours of ceasing to take the medication.
The defendant must agree to his healthcare practitioners sharing information
including reports on his progress and information he
has told them with each
other and with his DSO.
The defendant must agree to any information being shared between those
agencies that are involved in his supervision including, but
not limited to, his
DSO and CSNSW.
[1] Defendant’s written
submissions par 8.
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