Daniel Michael Loeser confused Australian Bragg Centre with RAH before allegedly flooding cancer research centre, court hears
A man who allegedly flooded Adelaide’s leading cancer research centre had just been released from the city watch house, a court has heard.
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A northern suburbs man allegedly flooded a leading Adelaide medical research centre in a misguided bid for medical attention and was later found in his underwear, a court heard.
Daniel Michael Loeser, 31, allegedly trespassed into the $500m Australian Bragg Centre just hours after he was released from the city watch house, where he was brought following an arrest for a separate incident the night before in January, his counsel said.
The Ingle Farm man applied for home detention bail for a second time at the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Counsel said he was “extremely unwell” in January when he was released from the watch house and gained entry into the medical centre through an ajar fire door, thinking it was the neighbouring Royal Adelaide Hospital.
“Then, in his mind, setting off the fire hydrants would result in him being seen by a doctor,” he said. “When police attended, he was in his underwear in a state of disarray.”
Mr Loeser has been charged with serious criminal trespass and property damage.
Police found the building partially flooded and fire sprinklers going off when they were called to the North Terrace research facility in the early hours on January 5.
Court documents obtained by The Advertiser allege Mr Loeser caused more than $30,000 damage to the building but the exact figure was yet to be determined.
The Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research – previously known as the SAHMRI 2 is a “purpose-built biomedical development” for leading cancer research institutes.
It was to house the first clinically dedicated proton-beam precision therapy centre in the Southern Hemisphere until the SAHMRI terminated the contract last year.
The court heard Mr Loeser was already on bail for a separate trespass charge when he allegedly damaged the building.
Counsel said the defendant was arrested the night before for allegedly loitering outside an acquaintance’s address after he was asked to leave.
“He was arrested drunk, not interviewed due to his demeanour, and then was released from the city watch house and found his way to the medical centre, where he was located, having set off … fire hydrants,” he said.
He described his client’s behaviour as “bizarre” and “consistent with a psychosis of some sort”.
He said Mr Loeser had been “detoxing from some illicit substance abuse” and needed to “explore” whether the detoxification process led to his state.
“What we need to explore is whether or not the detoxification as opposed to it being a specifically drug-induced psychosis provides him with a defence,” he said.
He said “there has been a significant stabilisation in my client’s mental health since he has been in custody”.
Prosecution has opposed all forms of bail, saying the defendant “was offending” while on bail.
She added that the defendant had prior convictions and a history of breaching bonds and bail.
Magistrate Simon Smart refused bail.
Mr Loeser will next appear in court in April.
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Originally published as Daniel Michael Loeser confused Australian Bragg Centre with RAH before allegedly flooding cancer research centre, court hears
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