A young Albury man with a litany of mental health issues has pleaded guilty to punching a nurse to the ground when she told him he had to go elsewhere to get his medication.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Zac Duncan had turned-up at the Albury Community Mental Health Service with an aunt to get his routine injection of Flupenthixol, an anti-psychotic drug also know as Depot.
He attacked the nurse, the force of his punch to her arm knocking her sideways to the wall before she fell to the floor, after initially storming out of the building.
IN OTHER NEWS:
But while Duncan has admitted to the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, his lawyer had the matter adjourned for a month for a hearing of an application under section 33 of the NSW Mental Health Act.
That will be to have Duncan directed to mental health treatment, rather than going thought the judicial system.
Duncan, 24, made no comment during the brief mention of his matter in Albury Local Court on Monday, nor did he appear to acknowledge magistrate Richard Funston's granting of the adjournment to November 13.
The court was told that Duncan had a lengthy criminal history.
He was intellectually disabled, had low intelligence and was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and schizophrenia.
Duncan was a patient of Albury hospital's mental health unit, Nolan House, at the time he was charged.
While he was a client of the mental health service, his fortnightly injections - to help reduce the number of auditory and visual hallucinations he suffered - were done at the Albury-Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service.
After punching the nurse, he left the building and yelled "who do I have to kill to get help?".
He was then scheduled under the Act.