Woman charged over alleged suicide pact

A woman has been charged in relation to the suspected suicide of a Waikato man who was found dead after fleeing escorted leave from a mental health facility.

Police confirmed that a 27-year-old woman has been charged with entering into a suicide pact in the pursuance of which Rhys Thomassen died.

She was arrested and charged last week and is due to reappear in Hamilton District Court on June 23.

Thomassen, 24, was admitted to the beleaguered Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre in October 2019 after becoming

severely depressed and attempting selfharm.

Stuff has been told that the woman was also a patient at the centre.

About two weeks before his death, Thomassen ran away from a group of patients while on escorted leave. He was found at the bus station after a call from his father, and subsequently returned to HRBC.

On November 11, Thomassen was on an escorted walking group of six or seven patients, chaperoned by two psychiatric staff when he ran away.

Staff ran after him, but once off the DHB premises, staff legally aren’t allowed to detain patients.

His body was found in the central Hamilton area less than a day later.

His father Ray Thomassen told that he was a bit shocked and relieved at the arrest. He had been aware police were investigating his son’s death and had received a phone call from detectives informing him they were speaking to someone.

‘‘I am relieved in some ways but it’s not going to bring Rhys back but hopefully we will get some justice out of it,’’ he said.

Thomassen’s death has been referred to the coroner. As the matter is before the courts, police were unable to comment further.