PANMURE mother Janet Blackley is making a desperate plea for help.
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She says her son, Joshua Hartrick, 36 is a danger to the community.
He is in custody after being charged with 12 driving offences, including running red lights in Warrnambool and reaching speeds of 160km/h along the Princes Highway on Tuesday.
Ms Blackley said her son had complex needs including mental health and substance abuse issues along with poor physical health.
Photos seen by The Standard show the squalor in which he is living.
“I think he needs to be in a hospital at the moment because he is a risk to himself and the community because of his dangerous driving,” she said.
Ms Blackley said her attempts to access local health services had been fruitless and she was told unless her son sought help voluntarily there was little that could be done.
“Under the Mental Health Act if you’re a risk to yourself or others they have the right to detain him and treat him, and I don’t want someone else's mother, brother, sister, daughter or whatever killed because of a car that he’s been driving,” she said.
“There is a flaw in the mental health system. His behaviour is very difficult but I know there are a lot of reasons he has those difficulties. I’m not asking for Rolls Royce treatment, I’m asking for him to have basic care that is important for anybody.”
South West Healthcare Director of Mental Health Services Caroline Byrne said she was contacting Ms Blackley to discuss what services were available and how South West Healthcare could help.
She said although she understood the difficulties for families in such situations, there was a limit to what services could do under the law. If a person didn't want treatment they were supported in that decision by the Mental Health Act.
"On the other hand we know the difficulties for families in these situations, so we work closely with families and carers to support them and their loved one. A mother's love is unconditional and all they want is the best for their children,” she said.