Exorcism

At about 4:30am on 16 November 1997 local emergency services received a '000' call requesting an ambulance and also, somewhat unusually, a priest. Police were also dispatched and they arrived first, swiftly followed by the ambulance. At the scene they found Jeff Noyes dressed in only green & gold football shorts, spattered with blood.

Constable Lind spoke to Jeff, and fairly quickly came to the conclusion that he was suffering from some sort of delusion that had a touch of religious mania. Jeff told Cst. Lind that his mother had asked him to perform an exorcism upon her, and had needed to be killed. He said that police could not enter until after a priest had arrived.

Nonetheless police gained entry to the home and found the body of Shirley Noyes, Jeff's mother. She was lying on the floor with a small plaque of stained glass placed over her. The injuries she had received were bizarre to say the least, and again religious in nature, such as stigmata-like wounds to the hands and feet. The eventual cause of death was found to be from a severe battering to the head.

Jeff freely admitted that he had been the one to kill his mother. He stated that he needed to do so, as she was about to give birth to a demon-child, and had been in a relationship with the devil. He was wearing the green & gold shorts because they were symbolic of Australia - Jeff felt he had done a service to his country, and indeed the world.

Tragically, at one stage he seemed to briefly slip out of his delusional state and become conscious of what he had done, asking police if he could call his sister at Nepean Hospital so that "Mum could be put back together again".

Apparently in the weeks leading up to the killing Jeff's disturbed behaviour had been increasing, and there had been incidents of appalling conduct towards family members, especially his mother. His family described him as being delusional and aggressive, and said that this had begun to take on a religious dimension, when he started raving about the devil and cults. In his interview with police, Jeff claimed he could hear banging on his mother's window, and he believed this was because people were entering her bedroom and having sex with her. He believed she was gaining weight, and came to the conclusion that this was because she was pregnant, and would soon give birth to the devil's child.

Jeff had suffered from prior bouts of insanity, and at one stage had been admitted to Cumberland Hospital in 1996, as well as Bungarribee House in 1997. He had also been in a motorbike accident in 1993, which had resulted in a closed-head injury.

The question for the court was whether Jeff had a defence of mental illness. The psychiatrists who saw Jeff were in agreement that at the time of the offence he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, which led to psychosis, worsened by his use of speed and pot. The Judge concluded that at the time he killed his mother Jeff did not know what he was doing, or if he did, he did not know that it was the wrong thing to do.

Jeff Noyes was therefore found not guilty of murder by reason of mental illness. He was ordered to be detained in strict custody in the Long Bay Prison Hospital, until determined fit for release.

As with all patients found not guilty on the grounds of mental illness, Jeff is now a 'forensic patient' under the supervision of the Mental Health Review Tribunal. The Tribunal reviews his case every six months, and then reports to the Minister of Health. This report contains recommendations as to to where and how Jeff is detained, and how he is medically treated. If the Tribunal ever comes to the view that Jeff is no longer a danger to himself, or any member of the public, then it will recommend his release. That recommendation is considered by the Minister of Health, who in turn makes its own decision about the case and advises the Governor. The Governor may then continue to detain Jeff, or otherwise order his release. If he is released, he may be subject to various conditions such as taking particular medication, living in a particular place, and so on. If Jeff was to breach any of those conditions, he would be detained once more. In some cases, forensic patients go on to become members of society once more, but in other cases they are never released.

A sad tale of schizophrenia

Christian Gillett had a long history of mental illness, developing from when he was about 14 years of age. It became obvious when he was in his late teens that he was suffering from schizophrenia. Over the years police had been called to his home on a number of occasions and in 1990 was admitted to Royal North Shore Hospital where he received medication.

In May 1991 19-year-old Christian attacked his mother with an iron bar, causing severe injuries. It seemed he was experimenting with acid, and was 'tripping' at the time. He was arrested by police and detained at Long Bay Jail where his diagnosis was confirmed, and he began taking Haldol. He was sentenced to a community treatment order through Mona Vale Hospital which required him to stay on this medication.

Mrs Gillett was no longer able to live with her son following the attack, but maintained close contact with both him and her husband Keith, who continued to live together in Surf View Road, Mona Vale. Keith was wheelchair-bound, being a double-amputee.

Late in 1997 it appears Christian began drinking regularly, and in April 1998 neighbour Natalie Rosa saw him running from his house just after 10:00am. At 10:18am ambulance officers at Narrabeen received a call summoning them to the Gillett residence. Police officers arrived first at 10:22am to find Keith lying on the floor behind his wheelchair, severely wounded. A mattock, which was lying a short distance away, was clearly the weapon that had been used. Keith had managed to make it to the phone to make a '000' call. He told police he had been attacked by his son.

Christian could not be found by police until he visited his mother's work at about 10:00am the following day, when they were able to take him into custody at North Sydney Police Station. The police conducted an interview with him, which was recorded, in which he was clearly delusional. He denied attacking his father, saying that it would be a horrible thing to do to a man he liked, so therefore he could not have been him.

Keith died ten days later in hospital during his recovery from the severe wounds.

When he first arrived at the jail he was described as "floridly psychotic" and it became apparent he was not taking his medication, in addition to drinking. He initially told doctors that he had no idea who hurt his father, and had no memory of the incident, but was sure he was not there at the time. Through interviews with his treating psychiatrist in jail, Dr Nielssen, it became clear that Christian had infact attacked his father. He had been hearing voices telling him that his father was planning to kill him. He told Dr Nielssen that he heard voices saying "Axe him". He was put back onto medication, and also anti-depressants to help him cope with the loss of his father.

Christian was initially charged with murder, but this charge was reduced to one of malicious wounding, as it was not entirely clear whether Keith died as a direct result of his injuries, or other medical complications. He pleaded not guilty, and a trial was held before a judge sitting alone, without a jury, at the request of the defence.

The judge was satisfied on the evidence that Christian inflicted the injuries upon his father. The real issue, of course, was whether he had a defence on mental illness. The psychiatrists called to give evidence at the trial agreed that at the time Christian wounded his father, he did not know what he was doing. And, if he did know what he was doing, he did not know that it was wrong, and that he should not have been doing it:

"He was aware of the nature and quality of his act but did not realise that the act was wrong, as he believed that his father was actually planning to harm him, and he was prompted by persuasive auditory hallucinations."

The Judge gave the 'special verdict' that Christian was not guilty by reason of mental illness, and ordered that he be detained in the Long Bay Prison Hospital under strict custody until he is considered fit for release.

In 2002 Christian was moved to the Rozelle Psychiatric Hospital, in a low-security cottage, as part of his preparation to be released back into the community. However he escaped from that facility in late 2002. He was considered dangerous and the public were warned not to approach him. He was eventually apprehended and returned to Long Bay Prison.