Man attacked mother, thinking she as an alien, to be supervised for more than decade

A man violently assaulted his mother, dousing her in petrol and piercing her lung with a broomstick because he thought she was an alien.

MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos FEBRUARY 18, 2021: Generic pics of Melbourne Courts. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Penny Stephens

An Adelaide man who violently attacked his mother, who he believed was an alien, will be detained and supervised in a mental health facility for more than a decade.

The man, whose identity remains suppressed, assaulted the woman in October 2018 in a brutal assault that included dousing her in petrol and pushing her head into a freezer.

The series of attacks left the woman with life-threatening injuries that required treatment in a hospital intensive care unit for two months.

The woman also had her lung punctured with a wooden broomstick and required reconstructive surgery to her pelvis.

Her son, who was aged 33 at the time of the incident, was previously found not guilty of attempted murder because of mental incompetence.

Neither mother nor son can be identified for legal reasons.

Appearing in the Adelaide Supreme Court on Tuesday, the man was sentenced to a limiting term of 11 years and six months under a supervision order.

The court heard the man was suffering from a severe psychotic illusion at the time of the incident.

Justice David Peek cited psychologist reports, claiming the man remained psychotic — despite being treated with medication for his condition — and his overall prognosis was poor.

“Although medication has reduced his inclination to act of his delusions, his mental state is easily destabilised by stress,” the judge told the court.

“His insight into his illness is limited and (he) is often reluctant to disclose symptoms.

“While he is being compliant with treatment in hospital and close supervision, his history and poor insight suggests he’s highly likely to default on treatment if released prematurely into the community.”

The court heard, the man was likely to require long term support and supervision to maintain his mental stability and mitigate his risk of violence.

In past hearings, Justice David Lovell, who previously heard the matter, ruled he suffered from schizophrenia and found that the man was unaware his actions were wrong because he was mentally incompetent at the time.