Police confirm man, 53, dies in Queensland quarantine hotel

The grieving widow of a former RAAF engineer who took his own life in Brisbane hotel quarantine says her husband would still be alive today if he was allowed to isolate at home.

The grieving widow of a Brisbane aeronautical engineer who took his own life in hotel quarantine believes he may still be alive had he been allowed to isolate at home.

The woman is demanding answers from Queensland Health after her badly depressed husband, 53, committed suicide at the Novotel Brisbane Airport hotel.

Police found the respected former RAAF aeronautical engineer turned aerospace consultant dead with self-inflicted injuries in the bathroom of his hotel room early Monday night.

A suicide note was believed to have been discovered at the scene.

A man has died while in quarantine at Novotel Brisbane Airport. File picture

The man was understood to have been on his second day of hotel quarantine after returning from visiting relatives in Canberra.

His wife told The Courier-Mail he had been suffering major depression after his twin brother died of cancer last year and his mother was also diagnosed with the disease, but believes being forced into hotel quarantine may have ‘pushed him over the edge’.

She said he had been planning to return to Queensland after Canberra came out of its protracted lockdown, but came back unexpectedly after telling her he was trying to get an exemption to home quarantine.

“He did suffer from depression but we didn’t expect this to happen - it’s a shock,” she said.

“With his mental health, he shouldn’t have been put into hotel quarantine.

“People who are depressed shouldn’t be put in hotel quarantine. In my mind that was a factor that may have pushed him over the edge.

“I understand all of the things the Queensland Government is doing - I understand (the need for) masks and lockdowns. But I don’t understand why we can’t do something different for people with major depression who may be at risk of suicide.

“I believe if my husband had been in home quarantine, he’d still be alive - that’s my strong belief. There must be options. There must be other ways.”

The woman said she was seeking answers as to whether her husband had applied for an exemption from hotel quarantine.

Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said the tragedy would be investigated by police and referred to the coroner.

The death comes after the hotel quarantine tragedy of Brendan Luxton - a school friend of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk - who took his life a day after leaving hotel quarantine despite desperate pleas to Queensland Health that he was in crisis.

Mr Luxton, a retired successful financier, took his own life within 24 hours of release from the Marriott Hotel in July 2020.

A fortnight ago, his family went public with the tragedy, saying he went into a mental health ‘death spiral’ while locked in hotel quarantine but Queensland Health ignored at least eight warnings he was gravely ill.

Brendan Luxton lost his life last year after returning to Australia from New Zealand. Picture Supplied

Mr Luxton’s sister, Marita Corbett, said she was devastated to learn of another hotel quarantine suicide.

“Premier, how many more? One is too many for most people, what is your number?,” Mrs Corbett said.

“One size does not fit all, so please don’t simply tell us you quarantined and survived.

“Instead, address this inhumane practice; there are alternatives to keep people ‘safe’.“

Mrs Corbett has made several requests to meet with Ms Palaszczuk but these have been refused.

She said Queensland needed a holistic Covid recovery plan outside “the bubble of Queensland Health”.