A man accused of murdering a fellow patient inside a Geelong psychiatric hospital has appeared in court nearly two months after the alleged killing.
Joel Steinbock, 31, was arrested in West Geelong on Thursday morning and charged with one count of murder after he allegedly killed a patient staying in adjoining room in the Swanston Centre psychiatric facility in February.
Emergency services were called to the government-run centre in the early hours of Monday, February 23.
There, they found the body of a 31-year-old Highton man who had been a patient at the acute mental health ward in the hospital.
In the weeks following the incident, staff at the Swanston Centre told this masthead the alleged victim had been sharing a bathroom with the patient accused of killing him, separated only by a flimsy non-locking door.
Appearing in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday afternoon, Steinbock was silent as his lawyer requested he be seen by a nurse while in custody.
She said her client had a history of drug-induced psychosis and required antipsychotic medication, which he had not received since being taken into custody.
Steinbock, of Breakwater in Geelong, made no application for bail and was remanded in custody to appear in court again in August.
The coroner was notified after the matter was reported to police, the health service’s chief medical officer, Ajai Verma, said at the time of the incident.
“We extend our condolences to the family of the deceased patient,” Verma said in a statement. “Support has been extended to staff.”
The case marks the latest in a string of violent and traumatic events involving the Barwon Health facility that have sparked police, WorkSafe and coronial investigations.
Associate Professor Simon Stafrace, chair of the Victorian branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, described the alleged homicide at the time as a “devastating, distressing and an extremely rare event”.
“It’s about the worst thing that can possibly happen to have somebody lost in care,” he said.
“My thoughts are with the family of the person who has died and, indeed, with the family of the person who is accused of perpetrating a crime.”
Stafrace said that while Victoria had striven to improve care for people with mental health issues in recent years, tragedies such as these showed there was still a way to go.
“One of the most unhelpful conclusions that you can make is that mental health reform is done,” he said.
Earlier this month, a Victorian woman told this masthead she had engaged lawyers after a man who was stalking her and in the grips of methamphetamine-induced psychosis was sent home from the mental health hospital after telling staff about a violent rape fantasy involving her.
Within days of being released from the hospital, he had broken into her daughter’s bedroom in the middle of the night.
After a 20-year career as a psychiatrist, Dr Helen Schultz also told this masthead she was assaulted by a patient while working as a locum at the Swanston Centre on June 16, 2022.
Days after the incident, Schultz detailed allegations of inappropriate and unsafe practices in the hospital to WorkSafe, and the authority later ordered Barwon Health, which operates the facility, to improve processes.
Victoria’s Public Advocate has implored the state government to improve safety in the mental health system, saying reports of abuse, neglect and violence are common in settings where patients are entitled to safe treatment.
Melissa Cunningham is a health reporter for The Age. She has previously covered crime and justice.Connect via X or email.
