Young man with severe intellectual disabilities to spend two years in Queensland prison without facing trial

Describing case as ‘tragic’, supreme court denies 21-year-old bail over 72 charges, including three alleged serious assaults

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A young man with severe intellectual disability and psychological disorders linked to an “appallingly” abusive childhood will spend more than two years in prison without facing trial, due to delays in Queensland’s mental health court.

The 21-year-old, anonymised in court documents as MZU, has been in custody since November 2022 on 72 charges including three serious assaults, burglary, obstructing police, car theft, fare evasion, public acts of indecency and breach of bail.

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