6.4.12. Jimmy
Jimmy is an Indigenous man now in his late twenties. He has been diagnosed with borderline intellectual disability, an acquired brain injury, a number of mental health disorders including schizophrenia and psychosis. Jimmy also has epilepsy and a history of non-compliance with medical treatments and self–harm. Jimmy came to the attention of Community Services at the age of five, with reports indicating that he had been sexually and physically assaulted by his mother’s partners. As a young person it is recorded that Jimmy had abused his two younger brothers. Jimmy left school at the age of 16, though police indicate that he had little education.
As a young person Jimmy resided intermittently with his mother and aunties and numerous foster homes, and was frequently reported by police to be homeless.
Jimmy’s early contact with police was as a result frequent counts of theft, malicious damage, and threatening and assaulting his carers and other young people in care or in the special school he attended. He had four episodes in juvenile justice custody. Records indicate that Jimmy suffered multiple instances of physical and sexual assault whilst in juvenile detention.
By his late teens Jimmy’s offending included frequent break and enters, stealing and motor vehicle theft, generally committed in company with other young men. At times Jimmy informed police that he was compelled to commit these break and enters or face being assaulted by the other men. There are numerous allegations made against Jimmy about him exposing himself and sexually assaulting younger boys in the group homes in which he was residing.
By the time Jimmy was 18 he was frequently referred to in police narratives as being homeless and the police often noted he was under the influence of marijuana or alcohol. At 18 Jimmy had an epileptic fit during which he sustained a brain injury. When Jimmy was aged 20, police use section 24 of the Mental Health Act to apprehend him after he attempted to hang himself. A number of days after this event, Jimmy’s carer became concerned after he refused his medication for two days and he began making threats and self-harming. As a result he was taken to a psychiatric hospital where he was refused admission. Carers then took him to a police station where the police decide to again use section 24 of the Mental Health Act and took him back to the same psychiatric hospital for assessment and admission. He is not recorded as receiving any disability support or services.
