Cy Walsh granted supervised leave for rehabilitation
Cy Walsh (left) was mentally incompetent when he killed his father Phil Walsh (right). Photo: Couchsurfing.com/Getty Images
The son of late Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh is a step closer to freedom, with the South Australian Supreme Court allowing him supervised release for mental health rehabilitation.
Cy Walsh was detained in a secure psychiatric facility indefinitely after being found to have been mentally incompetent when he killed his father Phil in 2015.
He has since been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and in May the Supreme Court granted him supervised medical release for treatment of that condition.
His lawyer foreshadowed that if that went well, she would seek further freedom for her client.
Prosecutor Lucy Boord told the court today that based on psychiatric reports, she was satisfied “that any risk could be adequately managed” and she did not oppose further rehabilitative leave.
“We are not opposed to some further rehabilitative leave,” Ms Boord said.
“Having regard to the reports of Dr Lim and Dr Furst I make an order … for Mr Walsh to have escorted leave for medical purposes and rehabilitation purposes,” Justice Anne Bampton said in granting the order.
Cy Walsh watched the proceedings through a video link from the institution where he has been held and thanked the judge.
Phil Walsh was repeatedly stabbed in his Somerton Park home in Adelaide’s beachside suburbs in July 2015.
The 55-year-old was the head coach of the Adelaide Football Club at the time.
Cy Walsh pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of mental incompetence and in September 2016 Justice Bampton formally made a ruling that he was not guilty of murder by reason of mental incompetence.
The court found he had undiagnosed and untreated schizophrenia at the time of the offence.