Alleged killer was ‘terrified’ of prison but deemed ‘low risk’ before suicide

A man who was charged with the murder of his father at his Brighton home had told prison staff he was “absolutely terrified” of a lengthy jail term before took his own life behind bars.

Anton Hillemacher, 52, took his own life in prison. Picture: Facebook

A man charged with his father’s murder took his own life behind bars hours after being assessed as a low suicide risk, telling staff he had fleeting self harm thoughts and was “absolutely terrified” of a lengthy jail term.

Anton Hillemacher, 52, was found dead in his cell at Ravenhall earlier this month where he was being held for the alleged murder of his dad, Robert, at his Brighton home in July.

The Coroners Court on Wednesday heard Anton had been on a disability support pension for 15 years after suffering a brain injury in a car crash in the early 2000s.

The finances of the former plumber, who hadn’t worked since the accident, was administered by his father following a payout from the Transport Accident Commission.

At the time of his alleged murder, Robert had sought help from authorities for protection from his son.

But Anton was accused of killing his dad at his Foote St, Brighton home on July 5.

In custody for the first time on a charge of murder, Anton had been placed in Ravenhall’s subacute mental health Erskine Unit, having been previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis.

Robert Hillemacher, 84, was found dead inside his Brighton home. Picture: 7News

Coroner Ingrid Giles was told that the day before his October 9 death, Anton was reviewed by a social worker and psychiatric staff three times at his request, where he described the prospect of serving a potential lengthy jail term as “absolutely terrifying” and a source of stress, and raised fleeting thoughts of suicide and self harm.

He appeared “visibly flat, reported a low mood and disrupted sleep”, according to a summary read to the court.

He also seemed to have “reasonable insight into his legal matters and appeared to accept the possibility of a lengthy sentence due to the seriousness of the alleged charges”.

Anton was deemed a low risk of suicide after denying he had any imminent thoughts or plans, and was told to seek immediate help if self-harm ideas occurred.

Later that night, while subject to hourly cell checks, officers looking through the trap door observed him to be sleeping about 2am.

An hour later, staff raised the alarm when, during their trap door check, it appeared Anton had taken his own life.

He was unable to be revived, and was pronounced dead at 3.25am.

Coroner Giles is probing Anton’s death, while Robert’s alleged murder will be investigated by State Coroner Judge John Cain.

A Department of Justice death in custody review is expected to be completed by mid-2025 and will probe Anton’s jailhouse management and whether the services provided to him were appropriate.

Originally published as Alleged killer was ‘terrified’ of prison but deemed ‘low risk’ before suicide