Queensland man held in Bali over alleged drug possession is mentally ill, lawyer says

[misskit]

A Queensland man held in Bali on suspicion of carrying drugs is mentally ill and should be deported to Australia for treatment, his lawyer says.


Joshua James Baker, 32, from Mt Isa was caught in Bali's international airport with what police allege was 28 grams of marijuana in his luggage.


His lawyer, Maya Arsanti, said Mr Baker has psychological problems.


"Joshua should not be here at Polda [police headquarters]," Ms Arsanti said.


"He should be deported to do some rehabilitation until he is healthy."


Mr Baker allegedly escaped police custody while being assessed in hospital last week and was re-arrested in Bali the following day.


Indonesian police said Mr Baker was also carrying Diazepam tablets, which are illegal in Indonesia without a prescription.


"If he does not consume his medicine he will be very aggressive and psychotic," Ms Arsanti said.


"He is not healthy and is not responsible for anything he did."

"On Monday I will get a letter from the doctor saying he is 100 per cent sick and should be rehabilitated, so with this letter I hope the police could deport him and he could do some rehabilitation back in Australia."


Being caught with even small amounts of drugs attracts heavy penalties in Indonesia.


Foreigners caught with similar amounts of drugs have served a year or longer in prison.

Queensland man held in Bali over alleged drug possession is mentally ill, lawyer says - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[Pragmatic]

I've no sympathy for the guy. Being mentally ill doesn't mean he didn't know the difference between right and wrong. It was probably the drugs that made him ill? A year in jail should sort his head out.

[Switch]

When I visited a year ago, every item of my luggage was inspected. I had two weeks supply of hypertension meds with me and all medicines were tested in my presence because the labeling was in Thai/English.
No problem just a short delay through customs.

[Wilsonandson]

I've no sympathy for the guy. Being mentally ill doesn't mean he didn't know the difference between right and wrong. It was probably the drugs that made him ill? A year in jail should sort his head out.

What r u talking about? Of course mentally ill people don't know what is right and what is wrong because most have the minds of small children. And yes drugs can give you a psycohosis that leads to mental illness but not after a year of being clean stuck in a rat infested cell in Bali.

Be sympathetic to those poor foreigners locked up abroad. No one deserves that type of torture. We're not at war. Prisons in Asia are hell on Earth and to all those poor souls locked up we pray you get through your sentence alive and are one day released. I never would wish anyone prison time out in Asia its akin to 2nd world war prisoner of war camp.

[Seekingasylum]

I've no sympathy for the guy. Being mentally ill doesn't mean he didn't know the difference between right and wrong. It was probably the drugs that made him ill? A year in jail should sort his head out.

I see. So, the psychotic paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is the son of God and hears auditory illusions from his father telling him to kill all gingas because they are the spawn of satan is really just having the equivalent of a bad hair day and is responsible for his actions when he kills 25 folk, dismembers their bodies and then eats their livers because he thinks it will make his dick longer?

Not quite sure you have a handle on mental illness there, Prag. Anyway, I thought you were a depressive? Does telling you to pull your socks up help?

[Pragmatic]

I thought you were a depressive? Does telling you to pull your socks up help?

A good few years ago I was anxiety/depressive and I'm not ashamed to admit it. After all, admitting you have/had an illness helps one within the recovery process.
I basically cured/helped myself by 'pulling my socks up' after visiting a quack in Korat. I never took a tablet from that day on. I'll gladly send you the full story if you want, as talking also helps. Chok Dee.

[Seekingasylum]

Indeed, cognitive behavioural therapy is a route that has an efficacy but one must not assume that it is a panacea not least because causes of depression can be other than the ontological.

[Wilsonandson]

Indeed, cognitive behavioural therapy is a route that has an efficacy but one must not assume that it is a panacea not least because causes of depression can be other than the ontological.

I heard that one of the causes of depression was having a small penis. I have never suffered from depression and I'm hung like a donkey. So maybe theres some truth in it pragmatically speaking.

[uncle junior]

Being mentally ill doesn't mean he didn't know the difference between right and wrong

Mental illness and bad judgement, goes hand in hand.

[Slick]

So an ounce of the devils lettuce and a couple valium.

Sounds like a Friday night in high school.

[Pragmatic]

Mental illness and bad judgement, goes hand in hand.

Bad judgement? May be.
Mental illness? Says who? His lawyer.

[uncle junior]

Maybe his best shot at getting off...or at least to do his time in Aussie. You'd have to be nutz to walk through customs in a muzzie country with a bag of weed.

[jamescollister]

Maybe his best shot at getting off...or at least to do his time in Aussie. You'd have to be nutz to walk through customs in a muzzie country with a bag of weed.

Stupid is not a mental illness, smuggling weed to OZ, the trade goes the other way.
Probably just forgot he had it in the bag, stupid is, as stupid does.

[uncle junior]

the trade goes the other way.

Aussies smuggling drugs into SEA? Never heard of that before

[Pragmatic]

May be hes not as mad as his lawyer wants you to believe?

Perhaps the most compelling reason so many Australians believe Schapelle Corby is innocent is the "coals to Newcastle" argument: why would anyone smuggle marijuana to Bali when everyone knows it's so easy to get there?
While drugs might seem freely available on the streets, the foreigners who live in Bali, including those serving time in Kerobokan jail, say that buying them is a very risky business because you never know if the seller is an undercover police officer or a police informer.
For that reason, westerners in Bali are prepared to pay premium prices for marijuana if they can get it from other Westerners, as that's the best way to ensure they are not going to be trapped and arrested.

Why Australian marijuana is a big hit in Bali - Corby Case - World

An Australian who says he's lived in Bali for 15 years contacted The Age several times to say his children were frequently offered marijuana called "Aussie gold". The man, who refused to give his name, said the "hydroponic bud" smuggled from Australia sells for $A600 an ounce (about $A21 a gram) or as much as $A20,000 a kilogram.