Cy Walsh asks to return to community without supervision six years on from tragic killing of Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh

The son of slain Crows coach Phil Walsh continues to recover from mental illness – and now wants to return to the community unsupervised, six years after his father’s death.

Cy Walsh – who killed his father, Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh, while affected by undiagnosed mental illness – has asked a court to let him return to the community without supervision.

Saturday will mark the sixth anniversary of Phil Walsh’s death, which rocked both the SA and AFL communities and led to national outpourings of grief and mourning.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court heard Walsh’s continued recovery since that incident has prompted him to seek permission to take unsupervised day leave from a low-security mental health facility.

Before any changes are made, however, Walsh must secure the support of mental health experts – and the court will seek out the opinions of members of the Walsh family.

Currently, Walsh has permission to leave Ashton House – a “step-down” facility – for day trips, provided he is in the company of his mother.

Former Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh, left, and his son Cy, inset.

On Thursday, Trish Johnson, for Walsh, said the time had come to consider the next phase of her client’s recovery.

“The doctors have confirmed he’s doing well with accompanied leave, and so we now seek to move to unaccompanied leave,” she said.

“I ask that application be listed in 2 1/2 months’ time, and that reports be prepared for the court just prior to that.”

On July 3, 2015, Walsh, 32, stabbed his father Phil Walsh, 55, at least 20 times in their family home while affected by undiagnosed, untreated schizophrenia.

A habitual user of hallucinogenic drugs, Walsh had an oft-turbulent relationship with his father and once spoke of wanting to “rip out” the older man’s heart.

In 2016, he was found not guilty of murder due to mental incompetence and ordered to spend the rest of his life under mental health supervision, starting in the high-security James Nash House facility.

Two years later, the court permitted him limited, closely-supervised release in order to undergo treatment for MS and, in 2020, signed off on his move to Ashton House and supervised community visits.

On Thursday, Justice Anne Bampton ordered prosecutors to arrange two reports to be placed before the court.

The first, she said, was to be authored by a psychiatrist and detail Walsh’s current state of health.

The second is known as a “next of kin” report and will ascertain the opinions and attitudes of the Walsh family, and whether or not they are supportive of and comfortable with the proposed change.

Justice Bampton remanded Walsh to face court again in September.