Trial of man accused of stabbing woman dropped due to mental health

A man accused of attempting to murder a Cairns woman has had his case thrown out in court on mental health grounds.

The 18-year-old man, who the ABC cannot name for legal reasons, allegedly stabbed an 18-year-old woman several times in a Cairns suburb last year.

Police charged him with attempted murder and domestic violence the same day.

“The Mental Health Court found that he was mentally unstable and the trial and charges should be stayed,” Queensland Legal Aid lawyer Kate Brunger told the Cairns Magistrates Court. he said.

Judge Terence Browne said the proceedings were formally suspended following a forensic audit of the case.

“The court finds that the defendant was of unsound mind at the time of the alleged crime,” he told the court.

Ms Brunger told the court the Mental Health Tribunal made a coroner’s order for the defendant to remain an inpatient at the Park Mental Health Center at Wacol in Brisbane.

The prosecutor’s office did not make any statement.