Man found not criminally responsible for fatal hospital attack on 80yo woman due to mental illness
Consensus Summary
On January 4, 2024, Richard Po Lun Lim, a 31-year-old man with a history of mental health struggles, attacked and killed 80-year-old Samira Kamaleddine and her two daughters at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in Sydneyâs southwest. Lim choked and punched the women in a bathroom, causing severe head injuries that led to the victimâs death. Both ABC and NEWSCOMAU report that Lim was found not criminally responsible for the attack due to a psychotic episode and likely schizophrenia, as ruled by Justice Edward Muston in the NSW Supreme Court on April 16, 2026. The court heard Lim had been hospitalized at Hornsby Hospital a week earlier, where he was restrained for appearing 'mentally disturbed' and diagnosed with acute psychosis, but was discharged without clear follow-up care. The victimâs family, including her daughters and son, delivered emotional victim impact statements in court, criticizing the hospital and mental health systems for failing to prevent the attack. They described their mother as a loving grandmother and great-grandmother, emphasizing the irreversible trauma of her death. Lim will remain in prison while awaiting a decision from the Mental Health Review Tribunal on whether he should be transferred to a forensic hospital for treatment. Both sources also note systemic failures, including the lack of security in the hospital and the backlog of patients waiting for forensic mental health beds, with some held in correctional facilities for over two years.
â Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Richard Po Lun Lim, 31, attacked and killed 80-year-old Samira Kamaleddine at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital on January 4, 2024, by choking and punching her in a bathroom.
- Lim was found not criminally responsible for the attack due to a psychotic episode and likely schizophrenia, as ruled by Justice Edward Muston in the NSW Supreme Court on April 16, 2026.
- Lim also punched two other women (Wafaa Ghantous and Fatima Bardouh, daughters of the victim) during the attack.
- Lim was hospitalized at Hornsby Hospital on December 28, 2023, where he was restrained due to appearing 'mentally disturbed' and diagnosed with 'delirium and acute psychosis' (diagnosis unclear).
- Lim was placed on a waitlist for a forensic hospital bed in Malabar, with about 30 people ahead of him, some held in correctional facilities for over two years.
- Lim was at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital overnight on January 3, 2024, after crashing his vehicle into a telephone pole.
- The victim, Samira Kamaleddine, was a grandmother to 70 children and great-grandmother to 120 children, described by her family as 'beautiful' and a 'proud mother'.
- The victimâs daughters, Wafaa Ghantous and Fatima Bardouh, delivered a victim impact statement in court, stating 'no-one is taking responsibility for the failure' of the hospital and mental health system.
- Lim will remain in prison until the Mental Health Review Tribunal decides whether to transfer him to a forensic hospital for treatment.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Defence barrister Michelle Fernando argued a mental health facility would be more 'appropriate' for Lim than prison, citing his delusional thoughts of being 'killed and eaten while in hospital'.
- The victimâs family described the hospital as a place where 'danger would be awaiting us' despite expectations of safety.
- The victimâs son, Mustapha, said in court: 'I want to remember what my beautiful mum looked like, not like how I last saw her.'
- Lim was kept overnight at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital after his vehicle crash, and the victim was admitted for leg swelling before the attack.
- The article highlights that Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital previously made headlines for a convicted gang rapist, Michael Angok, escaping while receiving treatment.
- The victimâs daughters explicitly asked in their statement: 'Why was a dangerous forensic patient placed in an open emergency ward? Where was security when we were being beaten?'
- The article includes a direct quote from Justice Muston: 'The entry of a special verdict does not in any way diminish the tragic consequences of the accusedâs actions.'
- The victimâs daughters described their mother as being killed 'because of a failure in the hospital system, mental health system, and many other systems'.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Lim was referred to mental health services after Hornsby Hospital but 'did not follow up,' while NEWSCOMAU does not specify whether he was referred or if the failure was due to his own actions or systemic issues.
Source Articles
Man found not criminally responsible for fatal hospital attack on 80yo woman
A man charged with choking and bashing an elderly woman at a Sydney hospital who later died has been found not criminally responsible due to a psychotic episode and likely schizophrenia.
âUnbelievableâ: Hospital slammed after 80yo killed in toilet
The daughters of a grandmother killed in a hospital bathroom have slammed the system for placing a dangerous patient in an open ward.