in court

The court case was today. Our family did not attend. We are OK with the outcome.

[excerpt from the Sydney Morning Herald]

Delusional man not guilty of attack

MARGARET SCHEIKOWSKI

Moments after a distraught elderly artist rang for help, his delusional neighbour smashed his way into the painter’s Sydney studio and savagely attacked him.

When police arrived at the north shore premises of Cameron Sparks, they saw Peter Grayson kneeling on top of the 78-year-old victim, who was lying in a pool of blood.

In the NSW District Court on Wednesday, Judge Penelope Hock found Grayson, 41, not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Sparks with intent to murder him, on the grounds of mental illness.

Although she found he attacked Mr Sparks, she accepted psychiatric evidence that Grayson was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and did not know that what he was doing was wrong.

About 11.15am (AEST) on June 6 last year, another neighbour saw Grayson, wearing only pyjama pants, standing in the middle of Balls Head Road, Waverton, yelling and screaming.

The judge said that as the neighbour went to ring police, he heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the studio attached to Mr Sparks’ home.

At 11.30am, Mr Sparks – who had locked himself in his studio – rang triple-zero saying Grayson was in an agitated state trying to smash his way through the door.

Grayson then forced his way in and began to attack Mr Sparks with what appeared to be a piece of wood, the judge said.

When police arrived, they saw glass strewn across the floor and Grayson kneeling on top of the victim, both men covered in blood.

After being told to get off the artist, Grayson "stood up and stomped on the victim", the judge said.

Mr Sparks, who suffered significant head injuries, was in hospital until August 18, when he was discharged to a rehabilitation complex.

"According to the evidence, Mr Sparks has now regained limited mobility but has no recollection of the assault," Judge Hock said.

She noted that his treating doctor said Mr Sparks had been doused in diesel fuel.

After the attack, police went to the neighbouring house – where Grayson’s parents lived.

They found furniture and other items strewn across most rooms and a note saying "Dose is not enough … spiritual practices … I find the vibe of living in Sydney horrible".

The judge said Grayson had a history of paranoid schizophrenia and had been admitted to hospital a number of times since 2004.

Hours after the attack, Grayson told a psychiatrist he was hearing voices telling him to "kill people".

The psychiatrist said he was hallucinating and was deluded, believing his neighbour to be "evil".

In his opinion, Grayson appeared to have relapsed in the previous week after not taking his medication.

Judge Hock ordered that Grayson be detained in custody until released by "due process of law".

© 2010 AAP

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23 Comments

    • Yes, that’s what I was wondering. Indefinite, unless he can be forced to take his meds and proven absolutely safe, sounds appropriate. Mind you, indefinite sounds appropriate anyway, given the circumstances. Can’t express how angry I get about people who refuse to take their meds because they don’t like them, then do such terrible things and it’s supposedly not their fault.

    • If I remember my terminology correctly from working for Corrective Services many moons ago, it basically means he will be committed to a secure facility, and treated, and only let out when another judge is satisfied that he is not a danger to himself or the community. Basically, he’s not guilty due to insanity, but he can’t be released because he is a danger. There will be a lot of hoops to jump through before they are satisfied that he can function in the community again.

        • It’s not always foolproof. People slip through the cracks, or learnt to manage inside, so its assumed they can manage outside, and they can’t..or they learnt to manipulate the system…it’s a human system, so it’s flawed, but it does work most of the time. It is a terrible thing that someone is that damaged that they would harm themselves or other people to that extent.

  1. I’m glad that this part is over for your family and yes, I hope the guy is kept in custody until he can prove that he won’t do such a thing again.

  2. It reads so fucking scary. Your dad is so lucky to be alive. And so unlucky to have that happened. Dunno if you are getting in closure on this but…thinking of you guys.

  3. Really dont’ know what to say either, except that I hope this means you are able to put some things aside now and move on. I also hope that it means Grayson is kept somewhere safe where he can received appropriate treatment and also not be a risk to anyone else.

  4. When I saw the words “not guilty” I feared the worst. But it sounds like he’s out of the way, and facing the consequences, and won’t be a danger. *hugs*

  5. The verdict makes me angry, but it doesn’t matter what I think, all that matters is that you and your family are ok with it. Thinking of you.

  6. Thinking of you Cat. At least is is over. I’m so glad your dad doesn’t remember the attack. It sounded horrifying.

  7. Thinking of you, Cat.

    It must have been awful to have it all dredged up back to the surface with the court case.

    But now it’s over, perhaps you and your family will be able to have some closure on this and can move forward to happier times. Each day in the future is a day further away from that horrible ordeal.

    Love and hugs,
    Angiexxxx

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