Mental Tribunal threatens imprisonment for using name

Mental Tribunal threatens imprisonment for using name

Media release: Monday May 25, 2020

“The NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal has ordered Justice Action to take down a media release regarding the forced medication of Kerry O’Malley by 5pm today or face a year in prison and a $5000 fine” said Justice Action Coordinator Mr Brett Collins.

“The Tribunal is embarrassed by its impending exposure before the Supreme Court, and has only self interest in making such threats. We are proud to be standing with her” said Mr Collins.

“This 74-year-old mother of five has been bullied by the Health Department over many years. Her treatment has been exposed on our website for five years along with the successes in stopping her forced medication in the past. To prevent her from speaking out and using her name, is clearly not to protect her from damage but only to protect the Tribunal itself and the culture of mental health against vulnerable people like her. Meet her here” said Mr Collins.

“She was refused any representation before the Tribunal, couldn’t inspect her file, and no evidence was provided of her being a risk of serious harm to herself or others. The medication is like poison. It makes her feel sick and gives her no benefit. The whole process is an outrage and totally unjustified” said Mr Collins.

“The case of Kerry O’Malley exposes the abuse of vulnerable people by the mental health system. Her experience is shared by more than 5,000 people in NSW and 17,000 in Australia each year. Forced medication may be convenient management, but in fact it constitutes abuse by the health profession against vulnerable people, whose rights are brushed aside with terms like ‘care’ and ‘lack of insight’. Details of her grounds of appeal are here” said Mr Collins.

“Here is the threat and our response. The same issue of using your name was raised by ABC’s Background Briefing program with Saeed Dezfouli“said Mr Collins. 

Kerry’s Index page