The family of a 25-year-old Bendigo man, who faced the Magistrates' Court for charges including beating an animal and making threats to inflict serious injury, has said he had been failed by the system.
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The man was sentenced to 74 days, already served, and released after pleading guilty to eight charges including two of driving while disqualified, two of making threats to inflict serious injury, two of contravening a family violence order, one of criminal damage and one of beating an animal.
The court heard the 25-year-old had been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, bipolar and a third disorder.
An assessment order, the first step in compulsory mental health treatment, has been put in place for him.
An affected family member told Magistrate Trieu Huynh through a victim impact statement that the matter should not be a criminal one.
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The family member said the 25-year-old had previously been "a model human being", keeping the house "immaculate" and being a "productive" member of society.
He told the court the young man had "snapped" over a "trivial, minor" agreement.
The family member said his relative fell off "the deep end", acted "extremely abnormally", was a "different person" and "literally on another planet".
The family member said he himself had faced similar mental health challenges as a young person and had spent six months in the psychiatric ward in Pentridge Prison.
The man said he was a "living example that proves it is possible to reform and reintegrate into society if given the right level of support".
After release the family member went on to receive a university degree and has worked for more than three decades in a profession.
The man thanked the police for helping assist when the mental health services were unable to attend, but said it should not be a criminal matter.
He said his relative continued to be failed by housing difficulties which "doomed him" and "left him on the street".
The 25-year-old also consented without admissions to three intervention orders.
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Lucy Williams
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
