Jean Eric Gassy
Encyclopedia
Jean Eric Gassy is a deregistered medical practitioner who was convicted in October 2004 of the murder on 14 October 2002 of Dr. Margaret Tobin, then the head of government mental health services in South Australia
. Dr Tobin was shot four times as she was walking away from the lift that she had taken to the eighth floor of the office in which she worked.
Gassy was struck off in 1997 after being diagnosed with a delusional disorder and refusing to comply with conditions placed on his registration. Gassy's motive was that the person who initiated that deregistration process - by first raising his eligibility to be a psychiatrist — was Dr Tobin, his former boss. Gassy was later found to possess a "hit list" of doctors involved in his deregistration, as well as a HIV specialist who refused to treat him after the delusional former doctor became convinced he had contracted the virus.
Gassy was originally sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder. However, on 14 May 2008 both his conviction and sentence were quashed by the High Court of Australia
following an appeal during which Gassy had represented himself. The High Court noted that "the trial judge's directions to a jury deadlocked after a day and a half of deliberations lacked neutrality, causing a substantial miscarriage of justice."
Gassy's retrial on the same charge took place in April 2009 and he was convicted on the 6th May 2009.
In October 2006, the Margaret Tobin Centre, a 40 bed "state of the art" mental health inpatient centre was constructed on the grounds of the Flinders Medical Centre
. The centre also took over management of the existing 15 bed unit specialising in weight and anxiety disorders located in the hospital.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Dr Tobin was shot four times as she was walking away from the lift that she had taken to the eighth floor of the office in which she worked.
Gassy was struck off in 1997 after being diagnosed with a delusional disorder and refusing to comply with conditions placed on his registration. Gassy's motive was that the person who initiated that deregistration process - by first raising his eligibility to be a psychiatrist — was Dr Tobin, his former boss. Gassy was later found to possess a "hit list" of doctors involved in his deregistration, as well as a HIV specialist who refused to treat him after the delusional former doctor became convinced he had contracted the virus.
Gassy was originally sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder. However, on 14 May 2008 both his conviction and sentence were quashed by the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
following an appeal during which Gassy had represented himself. The High Court noted that "the trial judge's directions to a jury deadlocked after a day and a half of deliberations lacked neutrality, causing a substantial miscarriage of justice."
Gassy's retrial on the same charge took place in April 2009 and he was convicted on the 6th May 2009.
Aftermath
The Dr Margaret Tobin Awards were established in 2004 to publicly recognise people or organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to mental health in South Australia.In October 2006, the Margaret Tobin Centre, a 40 bed "state of the art" mental health inpatient centre was constructed on the grounds of the Flinders Medical Centre
Flinders Medical Centre
Flinders Medical Centre is a 580 bed public teaching hospital and medical school, co-located with Flinders University and the 130 bed Flinders Private Hospital located at Bedford Park, South Australia. It opened in 1976. It is one of the major public hospitals operating in metropolitan Adelaide...
. The centre also took over management of the existing 15 bed unit specialising in weight and anxiety disorders located in the hospital.