Psych patient free to kill

A KILLER psychiatric patient who escaped while on day release may have been free to kill because authorities failed to act.

The 36-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, killed 41-year-old mother-of-three Kim Rebecca Lynch more than a week after absconding as an involuntary inpatient at Dandenong Hospital.

Now Ms Lynch’s family is demanding answers from authorities over a mental health system they say is in crisis.

“He was a danger to the community and they knew it,” Karen Begg, Ms Lynch’s mother, said yesterday.

“Why was he let out? And, after he didn’t come back, why was nothing done? We need answers.”

Ms Lynch had been in an abusive relationship with her killer but it is believed she tried to end it on the day she was killed.

By that time the man, an ice user who suffered from a schizophrenic illness, had been away from the hospital for seven days.

He was granted three hours day leave on February 5, less than a week after being admitted to the Dandenong Hospital as an involuntary patient in January 2016.

He was missing for nine days before taking himself back to hospital.

The man was released into the custody of his grandmother who notified the hospital on the same day that he had absconded.

Police were notified immediately.

But Supreme Court justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said there was no evidence “as to what, if any, steps the police took to locate (him) and return him to the hospital”.

Ms Lynch’s family said police have been unable to tell them why nothing was done.

It was a week before the body of Ms Lynch was discovered.

Her killer had hidden her in a cupboard in his apartment then phoned his stepfather to ask him to remove a “B,O and two other letters” from the cupboard.

The man was yesterday placed on a 25-year custodial supervision order after being found not guilty because of mental impairment.

Ms Lynch’s family said her death was avoidable.

“Kim lost her life because of a mental health system that has for decades failed us and failed the accused,” they said in a statement.

“Why was he let out? And, after he didn’t come back, why was nothing done? We need answers.” KAREN BEGG