Fed: Health ministers under fire over mentally ill killer

AAP General News (Australia)
12-21-2001
Fed: Health ministers under fire over mentally ill killer

Health ministers in two states are under pressure to resign over their handling of
the case of mentally ill killer CLAUDE JOHN GABRIEL.

GABRIEL, who stabbed 17-year-old JANAYA CLARKE to death on the Gold Coast in 1998,
fled from Queensland to Melbourne last month while on release from a mental institution.

As the states negotiated a deal to send him back amid a public outcry, the 26-year-old
fled to Rome.

Both governments are defending their handling of the matter, saying they were unable
to act sooner because of a legal loophole.

Victorian Premier STEVE BRACKS has called for new extradition laws for mental patients
to prevent the problem occurring again.

But the Victorian and Queensland opposition parties say both health ministers should
resign for allowing GABRIEL to abscond.

AAP RTV bp/gfr/wz/rt

KEYWORD: GABRIEL (MELBOURNE)

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