The ACT government has refused to say when mental health facility staff first realised a patient who went on an alleged stabbing spree at the Australian National University was missing.
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The Canberra Times reported on Saturday that police said they were notified Alex Ophel was missing shortly before the first emergency call was made about the alleged attack.
Ophel allegedly stabbed two women with a knife and attacked two men with a frying pan. One of the female victims, Illysha Perry, is still in intensive care with life-altering injuries.
The Canberra Times understands Ophel was walking unescorted in bushland near the Bruce-based Gawanggal Mental Health Unit last Monday, with permission from the facility. He ended up at the Acton ANU campus, where he allegedly attempted to murder two people.
Canberra Health Services, the directorate responsible for the mental health unit, has declined to answer questions about what time Ophel was reported missing to police, why he was outside the unit and whether proper procedures were followed.
The directorate declined to answer questions on the basis the alleged attacks are before the courts and because of health privacy laws.
They have also said a review by the ACT chief psychiatrist into the incident "will examine all relevant matters".
Ophel, 24, was charged with two courts of attempted murder on Tuesday, September 19.
Once someone has been charged with a crime, media reporting around the alleged crime and accused person is restricted so reporting does not prejudice a jury.
![Police and paramedics on the scene at ANU last Monday. Picture by Karleen Minney Police and paramedics on the scene at ANU last Monday. Picture by Karleen Minney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/pMXRnDj3SUU44AkPpn97sC/ca5e6855-f1c0-4086-9084-d45a4ac8d398.jpg/r0_309_5568_3439_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
This restriction does not usually apply to circumstances not relating to an alleged crime, such as government or police responses to an incident.
On Thursday, the ACT government announced a review by the chief psychiatrist of the "individual circumstances surrounding this incident".
Canberra Health Services responded to questions by The Canberra Times regarding the leave policies of Dhulwa and Gawanggal mental health facilities, which are two separate units.
The masthead had independently confirmed Ophel was a patient at Gawanggal.
When The Canberra Times asked in response to that email if the procedure had been followed when Ophel was reported missing, the directorate replied: "CHS is unable to comment on this matter as it is before the court. We expect the review that has been announced will examine all relevant matters."
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In the same email, they said because the matter was before the courts, they could not comment on when mental health staff knew Ophel was missing and when they called police.
This was despite police having already given this masthead timestamps revealing when staff from the facility called triple zero, and when they first received an emergency call from the university campus about the incident.
On Monday, The Canberra Times asked Canberra Health Services how many calls were made from staff to police and when.
Once again, they said they would not respond because the matter was before the courts.
"All of this information is being provided as part of the investigative process and the review which was announced," a spokesperson said.
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