Attorney-General Elise Archer has urgently requested a review of prisoner psychiatric care assessments after a man with chronic schizophrenia was released from prison in a delusional state and killed a woman the day after.
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Daryl Royston Wayne Cook killed North Hobart shopkeeper Voula Delios after he stabbed her 22 times in July 2016.
At the time, he believed he was a Christian crusader and she was a heathen who needed to die.
A Supreme Court jury on Thursday found Cook not guilty of murder on the grounds of insanity.
Justice Gregory Geason ordered he be detained indefinitely in a mental health facility.
Ms Archer said on Friday said she had written to the secretaries of the Departments of Health and Justice and asked them to examine processes and procedures relating to prisoner psychiatric care assessments.
“While there will be a coronial investigation, it is appropriate that further work is done as an urgent priority to ensure that psychiatric care assessments and prisoner discharge processes are as rigorous as they can be,” she said.
Cook was released from prison three months early on remission.
The government plans to abolish that practice.
Community and Public Sector Union secretary Tom Lynch said a review needed to be done on Cook’s treatment within prison and the circumstances around his release to ensure a similar situation was not repeated.
“Based on reports from the trial it seems he had been experiencing psychotic symptoms prior to release and I think most Tasmanians would expect that a person in this situation would have been provided with care, support, monitoring and if necessary intervention,” he said.
“The Tasmanian Prison Service is not adequately resourced to deal with inmates experiencing significant mental health issues.
“This is an increasing problem as changes in the way the community handles people with mental health problems is seeing more and more end up in our prison system.