Raelene Polymiadis, charged with poisoning her parents with insulin, tells court she’s been forced to take the wrong medication in prison
A diabetic woman accused of murdering her parents with fatal insulin doses claims her own medication is being mismanaged in prison, a court has heard.
Police & Courts
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A woman who allegedly murdered both of her parents with unnecessary insulin injections is at risk of significant harm if left in prison because authorities are mismanaging her own diabetes, a court has heard.
On Wednesday, counsel for Raelene Polymiadis urged the Supreme Court to give their client home detention bail despite the serious allegations against her.
A large contingent of Mrs Polymiadis’ family and friends listened from the public gallery as barrister Marie Shaw KC said her client should be released as soon as possible.
Those supporters sat apart from SA Police and Major Crime detectives who attended the hearing.
In court, Ms Shaw said prison medical staff had determined Mrs Polymiadis to be a type 2 diabetic, while her personal endocrinologist insisted she was type 1.
“My client’s reports and assertions as to what her illness is were considered ‘not credible’ by prison health services and treated with scepticism and as a ‘lack of co-operation’,” she said.
“Staff here at the court cells report that she had an episode this morning and was quite unwell.
“In the community, she was able to monitor her blood sugar level … what’s now happened is that control has been taken away from her, and her reports aren’t accepted.”
Prosecutor Karen Ingleton, however, opposed Mrs Polymiadis being released on bail.
The details of their submissions to the court cannot be reported due to court-imposed suppression orders.
Mrs Polymiadis, 62, of Craigmore, has yet to plead to two counts of murder.
The charges arise from the deaths of her mother, Brenda Anderson, on March 15, 2022, and father, Lynton Anderson, on April 30 this year.
Previously, prosecutors alleged she twice administered insulin to Mrs Anderson, who was not diabetic, resulting in her death.
They further alleged she did the same to Mr Anderson – who was also not diabetic – a year later, scattering medication near his body to “make this look like a suicide”.
Other allegations aired in court, including Mrs Polymiadis’ purported motive, are the subject of multiple suppression orders.
On Wednesday, Justice Julie McIntyre noted Mrs Polymiadis’ first bail hearing, last week, had not been published on the public case list.
She said inquiries had determined “data entry error” resulted in it being deleted from the case list.
Ms Shaw asked Justice McIntyre to order a home detention bail report, assessing Mrs Polymiadis’ suitability for release, and then adjourn the hearing.
That would, she said, allow time for Mrs Polymiadis’ solicitors to consult with an endocrinologist – but not their client’s personal specialist.
“Unfortunately he is on leave and we are unable to contact him,” she said.
“We have located another endocrinologist we wish to speak to.”
Ms Ingleton said it would be “premature” for the court to order a home detention bail report without first hearing full submissions.
Justice McIntyre agreed, declined to order the report and remanded Mrs Polymiadis in custody to a further hearing on Thursday afternoon.
Mrs Polymiadis’ friends and supporters did not comment outside court.
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