Mental health patient charged with assault on 16-year-old

A mental health patient recently deported from Australia is behind bars in Auckland. Photo / File.

A mental health patient recently deported from Australia because of his history of "significant violence and unpredictability" is behind bars in Auckland after allegedly bashing a 16-year-old in the street.

The 31-year-old appeared in the Auckland District Court on Friday charged with assault with a blunt instrument and injuring with intent. Police allege the man attacked the teenager as he walked through Avondale with his girlfriend.

The man had returned to New Zealand on April 24 after serving three years and four months in a Western Australian prison for an attack on a man in a Perth carpark in 2008.

He was remanded in custody and will undergo a psychiatric assessment before his next appearance.

It is understood that not long before the alleged attack he was a patient at an acute mental health facility, and that at the time of his arrest he was a patient of the Auckland District Health Board's community mental health services.

According to Australian immigration records, the man has a history of "severe psychiatric disorders" and a raft of violence convictions.

A psychological report presented to the Perth court described him as "apathetic, distant, antisocial and detached from relationships".

His profile was indicative of a person who "vacillates between obedience and aggressive opposition, between explosive anger and periods of shame and guilt".

The court was told the man had been prescribed medication for his condition and had been taking it at the time of his offending.

"I have considerable doubt as to whether any remorse expressed by you might be genuine, particularly in view of the fact that you seem to still constitute a high risk of further violent offending," the sentencing judge said. "Your previous record demonstrates a disposition to violence ... You certainly suffer from a psychological difficulty."

The man unsuccessfully appealed against a decision to revoke his visa, saying he had been prescribed medication which was "definitely working" and he vowed to continue taking it and to avoid substance abuse.

He described the 2008 assault as a "split second of stupidity" and claimed he had "grown up" and "learned a lot" in prison.

An appeal tribunal said that the protection of Australians from "serious criminal or other harmful conduct, particularly crimes involving violence, militates strongly in favour of cancellation of the applicant's visa".

Australian authorities refused to comment yesterday.