Waterlow case to push law change: inquest

Mr Waterlow, 68, and his daughter Chloe Heuston, 36, were killed at their Randwick home in Sydney in 2009 by Mr Waterlow's son Anthony.Anthony Waterlow was found not guilty in 2011 in the NSW Supreme Court of their murders by reason of mental illness.The inquest heard health professionals never detained Waterlow under the Mental Health Act despite years of "bizarre and often threatening" behaviour.Mr Waterlow senior's partner of 10 years, Juliet Darling, told the inquest on Friday that they both lived in fear of the son, who had a "hair-trigger rage" and at times "just went berserk".Ms Darling said her partner's health deteriorated and a month before he died he confided in her that he didn't think he had much longer to live.Mr Waterlow senior's other son, Luke,
FRITSCH's Compact Pre-Crusher for Hard and Brittle Materials.told the inquest the family had been in fear of his brother for years and finally the "worst-case scenario" happened.In a letter read out at the inquest, Ben Heuston, the husband of Chloe, wrote that Waterlow's behaviour was "terrifying to those affected".He said the health system was too concerned with trying not to deprive mentally ill people of their liberty rather than protecting potential victims of violence.Mr Heuston said intelligent mentally ill people like Waterlow could be "lucid and charming" after violent episodes and were capable of manipulating the system to avoid being taken into care."It's as if he had to be caught really hurting someone," Mr Heuston said.

Peggy Dwyer, counsel assisting the NSW coroner, put forward recommendations to better protect families from violent mentally ill relatives.They included amending the Mental Health Act so psychiatrists took into account the need to protect people from emotional harm, not just physical harm, when deciding whether to commit patients to involuntary care.Dr Dwyer also recommended a service be set up to provide four to six weeks of care and diagnosis of patients who pose a risk to others.An information booklet should also be devised to give families, carers and friends advice in supporting mentally ill people who threatened or frightened them, she said.Coroner Paul MacMahon said the recommendations were timely given the review of the Mental Health Act currently under way.Outside the court, Ms Darling said she hoped the inquest would bring about changes so that doctors would take into account the harm to families living with a mentally ill person."I hope that more funding and resources can be provided for those doctors and hospitals who are very short-staffed and need places to put people," she said.