Coronial
VIChome

Finding into death of MJU & KJH

Deceased

MJU and KJH

Demographics

39y, female

Coroner

State Coroner Judge John Cain

Date of death

2022-01-13

Finding date

2025-08-28

Cause of death

MJU: stab wounds to the neck and chest; KJH: stab wounds to the back

AI-generated summary

MJU (39) and her daughter KJH (6) were killed by MJU's husband CTH in a family violence homicide on 13-14 January 2022. CTH, who was using methylamphetamine and experiencing drug-induced psychosis with visual hallucinations, stabbed MJU multiple times and KJH once. Despite MJU calling emergency services at 12:40pm reporting CTH's hallucinations, paranoia and drug use, paramedics and police assessed him as not meeting Mental Health Act thresholds for involuntary admission. The coroner identified system failures in Child Protection's risk assessment (inadequate consideration of CTH's violence history, substance use, and mental health), incomplete discharge planning from Northern Hospital (limited MJU involvement despite safety concerns), and The Orange Door's over-reliance on MJU's self-assessment of safety. Key clinical lessons: mental health services should integrate substance use assessment, parenting capacity should be explicitly evaluated when parents have psychosis/addiction, and coordinated risk assessment across agencies is essential when family violence and mental illness coexist.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.

Specialties

psychiatryemergency medicinepaediatricsgeneral practice

Error types

diagnosticcommunicationsystem

Drugs involved

methamphetaminediazepamketaminelidocaine

Clinical conditions

drug-induced psychosismethylamphetamine use disorderacute psychosis with hallucinationsfamily violenceintimate partner violence

Contributing factors

  • Failure to involuntarily admit perpetrator despite acute psychosis and hallucinations
  • Inadequate risk assessment by paramedics and police regarding danger to family members
  • Incomplete discharge planning from Northern Hospital with limited victim engagement
  • Child Protection's failure to adequately assess risk factors including perpetrator's violence history, substance use, and mental illness
  • Lack of coordination between mental health services and substance use services
  • The Orange Door's over-reliance on victim-survivor's self-assessment of safety
  • Perpetrator's untreated methylamphetamine-induced psychosis with command hallucinations

Coroner's recommendations

  1. DFFH to engage a suitable qualified consultant to conduct a review of the operation and effectiveness of the SAFER Framework with particular reference to identification and assessment of risk associated with a parent entering a relationship with a new partner or any other person regularly in the house
  2. DFFH to publicly report on the implementation and evaluation of the SAFER framework
  3. Direction that copy of finding be provided to Evidence and Information Branch within Department of Health to inform SAFER framework review
  4. Direction that copy of finding be provided to Minister for Prevention of Family Violence regarding funding for specialist service to support children and young people bereaved by homicide (endorsed from previous recommendations in findings of Monique Leszak and GVY)
Full text
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Source and disclaimer

This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.

Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.

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