Ashley Peacock is not a criminal but has an intellectual disability and has lived at the Tawhirimatea mental health unit in Porirua for five years. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ashley Peacock is not a criminal but has an intellectual disability and has lived at the Tawhirimatea mental health unit in Porirua for five years. Photo / Mark Mitchell
A petition for an autistic man held in an isolated wing of a mental health unit has garnered more than 2000 signatures in a day.
The family of Ashley Peacock, 38, launched their latest bid to see him moved to a community facility on Sunday, by calling for Health MinisterJonathan Coleman to intervene in their son's case.
District health boards supplied the documents under the Official Information Act following an investigation into Ashley's treatment. He was held in prolonged seclusion at a mental health unit in Porirua, despite inspectors warning the conditions were "cruel, inhuman or degrading".
The reports detail three other cases at that level - each arguably a breach of our international human rights obligations - as well as dozens of other examples of poor quality care at the 50 sites examined since 2010.
Ashley, who is not a criminal but has an intellectual disability, a schizophrenic illness and can be violent, has lived at the Tawhirimatea mental health unit in Porirua for five years.
He sleeps in a 10m-square room with just a mattress and a urine bottle, and when staff order it, can be locked in for long periods - despite repeated warnings from multiple agencies that his condition is deteriorating, and his treatment breaches human rights.
His case is subject to a "watching brief" from the Ombudsman's torture inspectors who recently labelled his living situation "cruel, inhuman or degrading", prompting fresh calls for him to be removed from near-permanent seclusion.
"We request that Ashley Peacock be urgently relocated to an individualised service in the community with appropriate levels of support, with a clear time frame," it said.
So far the Government has defended Ashley's treatment, saying his case is "complicated" and safety was paramount.
The Capital and Coast District Health Board has previously said he had some of the "highest and most complex needs" and had issues with unpredictable violence.
"This situation is not ideal for the client, other residents or staff," general manager of mental health, addictions and disability services, Nigel Fairley, said.
"We are hopeful a solution may soon be found for this client."