FAMILY members of a Tasmanian man who held-up a Hobart pharmacy last year are calling for a "big revamp" of mental health care in the state.
The Hobart Supreme Court heard John Saether threatened a pharmacist and demanded medication during an attempted robbery at Guardian Pharmacy in Rosetta, north of the Tasmanian capital, before stabbing the window of an unmarked police car, in Apr 2020, ABC News reported.
However, Saether's mother, Rita O'Rourke, told reporters outside the court that the incident could have been avoided had he received more comprehensive care after being admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital mental health unit days before the attempted robbery.
"A week and a half before that incident, I had taken him personally to the [Royal Hobart Hospital] because he was suicidal," she said.
"They let him out the next day - no review of medication, nothing.
"He needed to be seen to, live for a while in a mental health unit to stabilise his drug use and get his medication sorted."
Saether's sister, Jessica Grieve, said her brother's actions showed that "mental health in Tasmania needs a big revamp", adding patients with mental health issues needed more support.
During the sentencing hearing yesterday, Justice Stephen Estcourt, noted that Saether suffered from bipolar disorder and had been self-medicating at the time, having run out of prescription medications after becoming unwell and self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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