A little more than two years ago, a terrified man told a colleague that he feared that his son would 'do me'.
Within a week, 68-year-old Stephen Peter O'Brien from Melbourne was dead.
His son Scott was never left the parental home and his whimsical behavior had led to an 'important history' of violence against his parents who was not reported, heard Victorian Coroners Court.
On January 6, 2023, Mr. O'Brien spoke with his sister for the last time and told her he did not want to go home because he was worried about the mental health of his son.
Scott thought that his father was a federal police officer and when he went home, his son accused him of espionage, Mr O'Brien told his sister.
He called a farm owner and said he was planning to work on January 9, but he never made it there.
The next day the daughter of Mr O'Brien asked him for a welfare control and the police found him dead, covered with blood, on the floor of his Wyndham Vale-house in the southwest of Melbourne.
An autopsy revealed that he had died of blunt power on his head, due to several strokes with a tool.
The police found Peter O'Brien Dead, covered with blood, on the floor of his Wyndham Vale-house (photo) in the southwest of Melbourne
Scott was arrested on January 11 and accused of the murder of his father, but was not found guilty in April 2024 due to mental disability.
Staatscoroner John Cain, in the findings released on Thursday, said that Mr O'Brien tried for years to manage Scott's behavior and violence to keep herself and his deceased wife Elizabeth Safe.
Scott had attacked Mr. O'Brien several times, which led to bruises, black eyes and at least one hospitalization for a facial breach, the coroner said.
The father had told others that he was stressed and scared by the behavior of his son and often booked accommodation to have a break.
Scott would shout at his father while he was on the phone and threatened everyone who came to visit their house.
He reportedly had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but did not take medication or received no treatment as he presented as 'functioning OK', the coroner said.
Friends had offered Mr O'Brien free rent and work in Bendendo after his wife died, but he rejected the offers 'because of Scott'.
Judge Cain said that Mr O'Brien's case was 'unfortunately' one of the many before the court, where an adult child with non -diagnosed or untreated mental health problems had attacked or killed an older parent.
A little more than two years ago, a terrified man told a colleague that he feared that his son would 'do me'. Stock image
He said that many barriers had prevented Mr. O'Brien received help for his son, including fear of negative consequences for Scott, lack of knowledge about the available resources and that he may not have recognized it as an older abuse.
He insisted on the Victorian government to increase consciousness about elder abuse through targeted campaigns and community education, to enable them to understand what it is and to report it.
Mr O'Brien's situation was not unique, said Judge Cain, pointing out the data from Australia that half of the nation of the nation was not paid, and 35 percent did not know that support was available.
“Stephen was a” hidden “caretaker in the sense that he did not identify himself as a care provider in mental health care and received no benefits to take care of his son,” he said.
The coroner said it was 'critical' that the state government worked to identify hidden carers and support them through mechanisms such as a care assessment tool through general practitioners, health centers and schools.
The charity of the senior rights says that Elder Abuse is often hidden and that an older person may not identify what happens to them as abuse.
“They can hide the signs because of fear of what can happen if someone finds out or they may not know that the actions of the perpetrator are a form of abuse.”
It added that abuse can be done without indicators or drawing, but said that “even if you are not sure, it is best to follow a suspicion of elder abuse.”
The types of abuse range from emotional or psychological abuse to neglect, to financial, physical, social or sexual abuse.
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