Terminally ill Home and Away star facing jail as he's accused of property damage
Former Home and Away actor Joel McIlroy, who is suffering from a terminal disease, could be facing time behind bars after being accused of damaging property in Sydney.
The 50-year-old soap actor rose to fame as Flynn Saunders on the long-running Australian soap - a role he held down from 2003 until 2006. He also appeared in Heartbreak High in the late 1990s and the Australian teen drama Dance Academy in 2012.
In more recent years, he has made less appearances in front of screens - with a role in a 2018 film called The 5th Shadow serving as his most recent credit. His personal life has become troubled in the years since he bowed out of the spotlight.
The actor was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in 2009. The condition is genetic and causes damage to cells in the brain and the damage gets worse over time. As a result, mental health, movement, and cognition perception including awareness, thinking, judgement can all be affected.
Australian actor Joel McIlroy is dealing with legal and health issues (Getty Images)
Joel featured on Aussie soap Home and Away from 2003-2006There is currently no cure for Huntington’s disease and most patients can expect to live for 10 to 30 years after first being diagnosed. McIlroy could now be facing five years behind bars after being arrested in Sydney.
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness
The actor is alleged to have damaged a passenger window frame which belonged to Sydney-based Girts Transport Pty Ltd on July 6. He was arrested by local police and, if found guilty, could be sent to jail for a maximum of five years.
A lawyer speaking on behalf of McIlroy in court has requested the charges to be dealt with under section 14 of the Mental Health Act. The Act could help Joel’s case if the judge finds the actor has a mental health or cognitive impairment and he could therefore be sent on a treatment or support program instead.
It is just the latest legal issue for McIlroy who was arrested in 2019 after allegedly assaulting a female police officer in an unprovoked attack. The case was heard in court in September 2020 where the actor’s lawyer’s requested the five charges to be dealt with under Section 32 of the Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act.
The charges were ultimately dismissed on mental health grounds as it was argued McIlroy’s brain disease that causes a lack of impulse control.
However, Magistrate Jennifer Giles warned the dismissal was granted despite her not been “keen” to allow it. She argued the assault against the 29-year-old senior constable was: “a very serious incident of gratuitous, wanton, vengeful, probably even sexist violence.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
