A 23 year old man with an urgent need to undergo psychiatric mental health treatment, was bail refused by the court after being charged with a string of sexual assault counts, including sexual intercourse with a child, possessing and producing child abuse material and possessing prohibited drug.
He had allegedly made admissions to police at the time of being arrested.
He remained in custody for about 5 months while waiting for the police to serve their brief of evidence and after multiple bail applications being refused in the local court.
The delay in police providing their evidence meant he would be in custody for another 6 months to 1 year, if bail refused.
Ms Regan filed an application with the Supreme Court for bail. We arranged for a compelling psychologist report to be prepared which outlined his significant mental health issues. The Psychologist produced a report which stated that the symptoms he was showing could potentially be a precursor to a psychotic illness.
We argued that it was in the interests of both Ms Regan’s client and the community, that he was released due to his urgent need for treatment. The type of treatment required could not be provided in a custodial setting, and therefore was an important consideration on an application for bail.
Thanks to Ms Regan and the meticulous preparation for the application, despite the admissions made, the Judge agreed to grant bail. This allowed Ms Regan’s client to receive the urgent treatment he required whiles his criminal matters a pending before the court.
