Cy Walsh granted unsupervised leave from mental health facility

The son of former Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh, who killed his father during a mental health episode, has been granted permission to leave the Adelaide mental health facility where he lives without supervision.

Cy Walsh was found to have been mentally incompetent with undiagnosed schizophrenia when he stabbed his father to death at his Adelaide home six years ago.

He is currently serving a mental health supervision order from Ashton House, a forensic mental health unit.

The court had ordered him to undertake tests in order to be released unsupervised.

Mr Walsh, 32, appeared in the South Australian Supreme Court this afternoon, via video link from Ashton House, and he was given approval to have the supervision order varied.

The Director of Public Prosecutions did not oppose the application.

He will still live at the low-security site, but will now be allowed to make unsupervised day trips, including to go shopping.

The application to vary the order was made in July, with Mr Walsh’s lawyer, Trish Johnson, at the time telling the court he was ready to leave the facility unaccompanied.

Last year, the court granted Mr Walsh permission to go on accompanied day trips with his mother, and other designated people.