A woman accused of trying to stab her grandmother to death allegedly expressed “homicidal ideation” towards her relatives in the months prior, a court has been told.
Bella-Rose Currie Shields is charged with the attempted murder of her grandmother back in May 2023 after she allegedly attacked her with a knife at the family’s Beaudesert home in Queensland’s southeast.
Ms Shields applied for bail at Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday but a decision was delayed due to issues with Ms Shields being able to find suitable accommodation outside of prison.
Further issues were raised around her mental health treatment, with the court being told of Ms O’Brien’s “extremely concerning behaviours” that were exacerbated by her alleged drug use.
Ms Shields, who is yet to enter a plea to a single charge of attempted murder, has been in custody since her arrest in May last year.
Five months of her time spent in pre-sentence custody while on remand were spent in the high security inpatient service in The Park Centre for Mental Health, in Brisbane, the court was told.
Ms Shields’s Legal Aid solicitor Natalie Keys said her client had made significant improvements against the backdrop of an “escalating history of mental health issues”.
“(It) really culminated in the alleged offending incident from May 17, 2023,” she said.
Bail was opposed by the Crown, who argued Ms Shields posed an unacceptable risk of committing further offences and endangering the safety and welfare of others.
This is despite Ms Shields having no prior criminal history.
Crown prosecutor Jennifer O’Brien told the court there were incidents at the family home before the alleged stabbing while Ms Shields was in a “disturbed” state.
Ms Shields had used cannabis since the age of 11 and there was evidence of a “strong correlation” between her drug use and her mental health, Ms O’Brien said.
She argued there was “divergence” in reports from Ms Shields’s treating doctors.
One had opined Ms Shields’s use of drugs had not contributed to the degradation of her mental health.
Another said Ms Shields might have been “impaired” by her mental illness and intoxication but not “deprived”, which Ms O’Brien said was a key test for the charge.
“Her previous episodes have been extremely concerning in terms of the context of being paranoid and harmful and placing herself at risk,” Ms O’Brien said.
“That month before, she barricaded herself in a room and expressed homicidal ideation towards the grandparents … with a large knife.
“There is extremely concerning behaviours when this lady is unwell.”
She told the court that Ms Shields was being provided with a supportive unit while in custody on remand that prevented a reversion to her drug use.
But Ms Keys noted her client had made substantial improvements during that time.
Since being moved to Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre, Ms Shields had held down employment in the kitchen.
“She’s using knives … it wouldn’t be done if there was still a substantial risk of harming others,” Ms Keys said.
Ms Shields was also complying with her medication and treatment plan, Ms Keys said.
She told the court there was scope for her treatment authority to change if Ms Shields’s condition declined or if she was not being compliant with her treatment.
Ms Keys said her client would provide a signed authority to her medical practitioner and community mental health authorising them to report any failures to take medication or follow her treatment to police.
Despite the proposed undertaking, the court was told Ms Shields could not be admitted to support facilities until the following day.
Supreme Court Justice Thomas Bradley adjourned the application to Wednesday for this to happen.
news.com.au mental health helplines
Domestic Violence helplines
