Joshua John Kleeman: Man shot by Gold Coast police to face court

A Gold Coast man who was shot multiple times by police will face court after police gave him a notice to appear. LATEST

A GOLD Coast man who was shot multiple times by police will face court next month.

Joshua John Kleeman has been issued a notice to appear on one count each of serious assault police officer, going armed so as to cause fear, possession of a knife in a public place and possess utensils or pipes.

Police allege the 29-year-old father of two rushed at officers with a knife at an Upper Coomera property on August 21 while officers were conducting a welfare check.

The officers shot him multiple times before Kleeman was rushed to hospital.

The Ethical Standards Command is investigating.

August: Man shot by police speaks to daughter from hospital

A Gold Coast man shot multiple times by police has recovered enough to speak briefly with his daughter but remains in hospital.

While recovering in his Gold Coast University Hospital bed, Joshua John Kleeman has spoken to his daughter “for the first time”, his estranged wife told the Bulletin on Friday.

The 29-year-old father of two had been in a serious condition for over a week but was now stable.

Two Sundays ago police were conducting a welfare check on Kleeman when he allegedly rushed officers with a knife. Three police were attending and he was shot multiple times before being rushed to hospital.

His estranged wife, Akiyo Kleeman, said on Friday she had spoken with Kleeman “only briefly” and “our daughter wanted to hear his voice”.

“He is doing OK and is slowly recovering,” she said.

She told the Bulletin the incident was “like a time bomb waiting to happen”, and Kleeman “has been unwell for a very long time”.

Ms Kleeman has said she believed the mental health system was to blame for the incident, and added “(the system) would stitch him back up and push him out the door” after “six or seven” self-harming episodes in just three years.

Police say Kleeman has not yet been charged and remains under guard in his hospital room.

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Wife: Father of two shot by police ‘pushed out the door’ by system

AUGUST 23: Joshua John Kleeman self-harmed “six or seven” times in three years, only for the mental health system to “stitch him back up and push him out the door”, his estranged wife says.

She claims the 29-year-old was “continuously told he was stable and cannot have mental health treatment at the hospital”.

Shot man Joshua John Kleeman suffered brutal bashing at Surfers Paradise, had ‘PTSD and anxiety’

The father of two was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital by police last Friday after allegedly threatening them with a knife in Burleigh. He was released after an emergency assessment.

Two days later he was shot multiple times by police in Coomera after he allegedly “rushed” at them with a knife.

Akiyo Kleeman, who married Mr Kleeman in August 2019 but has been separated for “some time due to his illness”, says “we have begged and tried for many years for him to get treated. It had gotten out of control”.

“In my understanding, the hospital just stitch him back up every time and push him out the door when he has asked to get mental health treatment,” said Ms Kleeman, a dental hygienist.

“Over the years he has gotten so bad and I really don’t have much hope left. It would have been much better if he had been able to access proper mental health treatment.”

Ms Kleeman, who shares a daughter with Mr Kleeman, claims Queensland’s mental health system was aware her estranged husband was “not well numerous times over the last two years, from family and himself”.

“It is horrendous the amount of times we have been refused treatment by mental health. (The system is) absolutely responsible for this incident.”

Mr Kleeman remains in a critical but stable condition under police guard at Gold Coast University Hospital. No charges have been laid.

In July, the Bulletin reported social workers were being drafted as reinforcements for swamped psychologists in a desperate attempt to counter skyrocketing wait times for mental health counselling.

Australian Psychological Society data shows 88 per cent of psychologists recorded an increase in demand since the start of the pandemic and a third were unable to see new clients. Previously, this was only one in 100.

The Australian Healthcare Index also found that the mental health of one in four Queenslanders had declined in the past six months and 59 per cent of those seeking help had to wait at least three months for support. South Australia was worst with 67 per cent.

The treatment of people suffering mental health issues hit the spotlight again this month with the death of rugby league great Paul Green.

A Gold Coast Health spokesman said it was unable to provide specific information relating to Mr Kleeman’s history with Gold Coast Health due to patient confidentiality.

However, speaking in general, the spokesman added: ”We understand how stressful it is for family members who witness their loved ones in times of distress. When consumers present to hospital with concerns that relate to mental health, they are assessed by clinicians as to whether it is appropriate to admit them to our inpatient services.

“Consumers who do not meet the criteria outlined in the Mental Health Act 2016 cannot be admitted if they choose not to be. Consumers may decline to be admitted. Consumers who demonstrate capacity to consent in relation to their treatment have a right to choose their course of treatment.

“Consumers who are discharged may be offered follow-up services with our Acute Care Team in addition to being provided information about useful community supports and other services.”

A 25-year-old Burleigh woman who wishes to remain anonymous said she attended Benowa State High School with Mr Kleeman, and he had “always been sensitive and soft-hearted”.

The woman said she had suffered various mental health issues of her own over the years and claims the (mental health) system “needs to change and is broken”.

“It doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from or how much money you have, the system is the same. Look at all the high-profile actors and stars taking their own life,” she said.

The woman said she had recently attempted to access a psychiatry appointment, and had “to wait six months to see them”.

“To add insult to injury, my GP prescribed me antidepressants without a proper mental assessment,” she said.

“It’s very apparent that people need to just take care of themselves on their own, because the Gold Coast’s health system is failing us.

“When you’ve asked for help and feel denied it propels you into a worse state. So you end up going out into society and wanting to rip it apart.”

Mental health advocate and extreme athlete Damien Rider said Queensland’s mental health system “needs to change”: “We need to start looking at it in a new way and not living off useless opinions, but actually listening to people who have been through it (mental health battles).

“They aren’t giving people the tools because they want to keep people in the system.”

Mr Rider, who does not know Mr Kleeman, referred to him being released from hospital after Friday’s incident in Burleigh.

“He was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital and released. Look at what has happened Sunday. They (health staff) are not sending people away with tools they can use.

“There’s two scenarios. Here’s a bunch of pills and ‘you have X, Y, Z wrong with you’ or ‘you are totally fine see you later.’ That won’t help when that individual has started questioning things and is saying ‘well I’m feeling f***ed up right now so what do I do’.”

If you need someone to talk to, phone:

● Lifeline

13 11 14

● 1300 MH CALL

1300 642255

● Suicide Call Back Service

1300 659 467

● Beyond Blue

1300 22 46 36

● MensLine Australia

1300 78 99 78

● 1800 Respect

1800 737 732

Originally published as Joshua John Kleeman: Man shot by Gold Coast police to face court