Husband killer denied a job as carer for disabled

A woman who slit her husband's throat while giving him a shoulder massage has aspirations to care for the disabled.

The woman had appealed a decision by the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors in December 2018 to reject her application for a yellow card.

A woman who slit her husband's throat while giving him a shoulder massage in front of their children is living in a regional Queensland town and working as a cleaner, with aspirations to care for people with disabilities.

The former nurse, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with murder in 2011 but the charge was later dropped after the Mental Health Court found she had a schizophrenic episode and had been of unsound mind.

In a matter before the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal last month, it was ­revealed she is living with a new partner and working as a cleaner, with aspirations to work as a carer. The woman had appealed a decision by the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors in December 2018 to reject her application for a yellow card, which is required for employment as a disability support worker for a National Disability Insurance Scheme service.

The couple had recently separated and she was caring for their four young children when she asked if he could watch the children while she went shopping.

Among her purchases was soft drink, which she laced with a poison, intended for her husband.

She changed her mind after tasting the drink and instead sprinkled painkillers on a sandwich. The woman asked her husband if he would stay for dinner and if he could sharpen a kitchen knife for her.

While giving him a shoulder massage, the woman cut her husband’s throat and stabbed him again in the neck as he struggled on the ground. Their two youngest children saw the attack.

The woman admitted the ­attack but was found by the Mental Health Court in 2012 to have been of unsound mind at the time and the murder charge was withdrawn. She stayed in a psychiatric hospital until 2015, when she was released into community care.

Her psychiatrist said she had not had a mental health episode since the 2011 event and supported her bid for a yellow card. The tribunal denied her request, ruling it was not in the best interests of people with disabilities.