Kylie Fitter deserves my prayer since she is a christian who come from a very complex background

http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2006_09_24/story_1776.asp

Click watch video for full story

Extra online interview

Interviewer: Kylie, thank you for joining us tonight in our live online interview, to talk about something that is so personal and painful.

Kylie Fitter: Thank you for your interest in my story. It is a very difficult story and I am ready to answer your questions the best I can.

ppi090 asks: What made you want to discuss what happened?

Kylie Fitter: What made me want to do the story is that I feel it is an unfair system that I am currently under. It has been five times that the health experts have recommended my conditional release but it is ultimately in the hands of a politician who has rejected every recommendation.

mikemm asks: What were you expecting as an outcome by going on 60 minutes?

Kylie Fitter: I wanted the public to become aware of the health system which is operating in NSW, that ultimate power is in the hands of the politicians, despite how strong the evidence is that I am well and fit for release from health experts, he keeps rejecting the advice given.

ppi090 asks: What do you mean by ‘it is an unfair system I am currently under’?

Kylie Fitter: What I mean by unfair is you are held in a prison context indefinitely and there is no grounds for appealing that and you have no power.

roger asks: Kylie: The neighbour gave a credible account of observations at the time of the offence. Do you believe he was telling the truth or you gave the correct version of accounts?

Kylie Fitter: I do believe that the neighbour gave an account of what he saw. I believe I gave a truthful account of what I remember. It has to be remembered that I was in a very confused and traumatic state. My father yelled at me to do the things that I did. I don’t recall kicking and punching her but I do recall holding her legs for a few seconds and then letting go.

ed_00 asks: Are you expecting people to understand you or trust you , now that you have come forward?

Kylie Fitter: I would hope so. But I can not control what people think.

St0ne asks: How do you keep your faith when it was the very thing that led to this?

Kylie Fitter: I am a Christian with beliefs and the murder is everything I am against. I was controlled by my father. Now I have come out of it, I find great encouragement from my faith and my Christian friends. At the time, I had a very naive understanding of Christian faith, but now I have a much clearer understanding.

marsh asks: How old were you when this happened?

Kylie Fitter: I was 15, but a very immature 15-year-old, a very sheltered and naive 15-year-old when the murder happened. You have to understand that I was overprotected and gullible. I had no idea what was going to happen. When my dad and brother came home that night I didn’t know what was going to happen.

franelllla asks: How much contact did you have with your father prior to the incident?

Kylie Fitter: There was an occasional visit. I saw him two months before the murder and he displayed no signs of mental illness that I could see. Growing up, my father was a caring and protective father. It was when I was a young teenager that he started to get into drugs and that is when him and my mum separated. It was actually my mother who encouraged me to go and visit my father and forgive him and give him a second chance.

kurt asks: Why was it that your Aunty, who has never met you wants such vengeance on you? Why had she not seen your Mum for 15 years?

Kylie Fitter: My family and I don’t really know my aunty. It is very hard for me to comment on that. I accept that she must be hurting and angry with what has happened, but I can’t comment beyond that. To the best of my knowledge, there was very little contact for many years and I believe that is due to an estranged relationship. They did have contact when their father died and they have exchanged a couple of Christmas cards several years ago. And my mother tried to escape to Queensland in 2001 to get away from my dad. My mother felt that it wasn’t going to work, so she brought me back down and that was the last time I saw her and the first time I met her. That was 10 months before the murder.

spaceman asks: What are conditions like in your prison? Is it more like hospital (Internet, TV etc.)?

Kylie Fitter: No, it is far from it. The staff are quite caring, but I am bound by regulations to endure things such as strip searches on every return back to the centre. I am constantly monitored all the time with security cameras and there are 20-minute checks at night which means they shine a torch in your bedroom. Contrary to Anne’s comments, there is a no-touch policy, so there are no cuddles or physical contact whatsoever. I am not on medication and the HECS debt for university is accumulating against my name. Everything you say is analysed and it is very difficult to form relationships. I feel very alone and isolated and it is not an ideal place to live in or grow up in. I wouldn’t wish anyone to be where I am.

Chris asks: Do you think that the prison system helps or hinders those who are found to have a mental illness?

Kylie Fitter: I think it definitely hinders. The thing is, you are not differentiated from any other prisoner due to your legal status as a mental health patient. The cruellest part is the indefinite nature of my detention. All other people have a release date, but with me it is a constant torment and I am constantly in limbo. I can’t see how that would be helpful to improve my mental health.

spaceman asks: What is the deal on the weekend release? What can you do and not do?

Kylie Fitter: I have to be supervised in everything I do. I come home on a Friday night to Bob and Jan’s place, I spend a lot of time studying for university. When I have my breaks I do things such as shopping, cooking, walking the dog, playing soccer on Sunday afternoons and I go to church on Sunday mornings. I also attend social events with Bob and Jan such as my cousin’s wedding, barbecues, musicals, pool parties but one of them has to be with me at all times. What I can’t do is take drugs, I can’t consume alcohol, and I can’t break the law. I have to ring the centre every day to let them know how I am going as part of my conditions for weekend release. I really enjoy my weekend leave and it is definitely the highlight of the week for me.

GreenTrackieDackies asks: If you don’t get the release you are seeking, does that mean you will be moving to an adult correctional centre in the near future, considering your age? How do you feel about that prospect?

Kylie Fitter: I have just been told this week that I can still stay in the juvenile facility regardless of my age, up until my release, but that has been a great source of stress for a long time because no one gave me any assurance that would not happen. I’ve been terrified at the prospect of going to an adult correctional facility. I am quite relieved with this week’s news.

Sarah asks: Do you still require counselling/support to help you cope with this traumatic event?

Kylie Fitter: Bob and Jan and Anna have been a great support and at times, when I do feel distressed or tormented, they have been very helpful in listening to me, working it through. In the centre, there are professional counsellors and a psychologist and they have been very good. They can help me though the process, but I don’t feel that that process will ever finish. The horror of what I have been through will always be there.

julia asks: I know that the Christian Democrats are hosting a petition for your release. How did you get the support of Fred Nile?

Kylie Fitter: It wasn’t Fred Nile, it was Gordon Moyes. Gordon Moyes has longstanding interest in mental health and justice for detainees who are found not guilty by reason of mental illness. I am very grateful for his support and the many people who have signed the petition.

Raven asks: Do you ever fear you may have another ‘episode’ sometime in the future and be in the same position you are in now?

Kylie Fitter: It seems extremely unlikely because several psychiatrists have assessed me and have declared that they have considered me to be a very low risk of re-offending, or of having other episodes. You need to remember the circumstances that I was under when I was 15. I was in a warm and stable relationship with my mum. My father somehow managed to manipulate my state of mind to enter into that bizarre night. It is impossible for me to be in those circumstances of vulnerability again because I am not allowed to see my father or brother. I have a much broader view of the world now and have gained discernment about mental health issues.

nw asks: Did you ever experience any form of mental illness or condition — even such as depression, prior to this episode?

Kylie Fitter: Yes, I have. I had clinical depression at the age of 12. This stayed with me until I was 17. I was on anti-depressants, but was off them at 17. I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after I had realised that my mother was murdered instead of her spirit. That lasted for about three years after the event.

Nina asks: What happened to your father and brother?

Kylie Fitter: I am not sure if I am allowed to mention anything about them due to legal reasons. It was mentioned on the show that they have protection and suppressed identities. But I will confirm that they are detained.

razzle asks: How do the other students at university accept your situation?

Kylie Fitter: No one seems to know of my situation. But I am ready to live with my story, no matter who knows. I hope that they have come to accept me for who I am and not my story. I get on well with people at university and relate to them naturally. I have enjoyed a couple of close relationships.

paulina asks: Wasn’t there a legal challenge some time ago in relation to your mother’s assets taken on behalf of your Aunty?

Kylie Fitter: Yes, that is correct. The findings of that case are available on the Supreme Court website.

Matt asks: What do you say to people who suggest you are, and should remain, in detention, not because of the risk to the public, but because of the assistance you gave to your father and brother?

Kylie Fitter: I would understand why people would think that. It is a perfectly natural reaction. People who are detained because of mental illness need treatment not punishment. We have to live with the horror of what we have been through and that is punishment beyond anything you could imagine.

rnj asks: Will you have to be segregated from other prisoners now that you have come forward into the public arena?

Kylie Fitter: No, because the centre prohibited the other detainees to view the program tonight.

Sarah asks: The guilt you feel must get intense sometimes, how do you deal with those situations?

Kylie Fitter: There are definitely times when it gets the better of me. I need the help of counsellors and friends to help me get through it. The prison chaplain is very helpful in all of this as well. My paternal aunt has been a great source of strength to me over the last year.

NicoleD asks: Kylie, do you honestly feel you deserve to be let out to start living your life again after helping take away some one else’s life?

Kylie Fitter: Yes, I do. I have spent a long time proving my stability. I believe given that five years have passed, that I should be given the opportunity to make a fresh start with the support of my network of friends and family. Professional counsellors are also in my support network. I am in no way trying to minimise the horror of what happened.

Sarah_David asks: When you are free, what plans do you have? Career/family/life in general?

Kylie Fitter: I would like to graduate to become a nutritionist. It is too early for me to make predictions about marriage and family and the future in general. I would love to have the opportunity to have a normal life and make those plans.

dizz asks: Kylie, I was wondering, what do you want the public to do to assist you in this matter, if they believe your story?

Kylie Fitter: Due to the fact that the power is in the politician’s hands, I would like them to write to the minister for health, John Hatzistergos and the assistant health minister Cherie Burton. Let them know that you do not approve of politicians having power over the future of mental health detainees. It is not fair that a person who can get a benefit in an election should have the right to keep detainees incarcerated so that their political popularity improves. The power of the politician is not used in criminal cases that are left with a judge and a jury, so why should a mental health detainee have a different system? The decisions for people like me should be in the hands of a proper court, not a politician.

Interviewer: Unfortunately we are out of time, are there any last comments you want to make before we finish?

Kylie Fitter: I really hope that people will see the awful situation that people like me have to suffer on top of the experiences that will always haunt their memories. Thank you for your interest and thank you for your questions.

Interviewer: Once again, thank you and goodnight.
This concludes our live chat with Kylie Fitter, September 24, 2006
Produced by ninemsn.com.au in Sydney, Australia
© 2006 ninemsn.com.au

Extra online interview

Interviewer: Kylie, thank you for joining us tonight in our live online interview, to talk about something that is so personal and painful.

Kylie Fitter: Thank you for your interest in my story. It is a very difficult story and I am ready to answer your questions the best I can.

ppi090 asks: What made you want to discuss what happened?

Kylie Fitter: What made me want to do the story is that I feel it is an unfair system that I am currently under. It has been five times that the health experts have recommended my conditional release but it is ultimately in the hands of a politician who has rejected every recommendation.

mikemm asks: What were you expecting as an outcome by going on 60 minutes?

Kylie Fitter: I wanted the public to become aware of the health system which is operating in NSW, that ultimate power is in the hands of the politicians, despite how strong the evidence is that I am well and fit for release from health experts, he keeps rejecting the advice given.

ppi090 asks: What do you mean by ‘it is an unfair system I am currently under’?

Kylie Fitter: What I mean by unfair is you are held in a prison context indefinitely and there is no grounds for appealing that and you have no power.

roger asks: Kylie: The neighbour gave a credible account of observations at the time of the offence. Do you believe he was telling the truth or you gave the correct version of accounts?

Kylie Fitter: I do believe that the neighbour gave an account of what he saw. I believe I gave a truthful account of what I remember. It has to be remembered that I was in a very confused and traumatic state. My father yelled at me to do the things that I did. I don’t recall kicking and punching her but I do recall holding her legs for a few seconds and then letting go.

ed_00 asks: Are you expecting people to understand you or trust you , now that you have come forward?

Kylie Fitter: I would hope so. But I can not control what people think.

St0ne asks: How do you keep your faith when it was the very thing that led to this?

Kylie Fitter: I am a Christian with beliefs and the murder is everything I am against. I was controlled by my father. Now I have come out of it, I find great encouragement from my faith and my Christian friends. At the time, I had a very naive understanding of Christian faith, but now I have a much clearer understanding.

marsh asks: How old were you when this happened?

Kylie Fitter: I was 15, but a very immature 15-year-old, a very sheltered and naive 15-year-old when the murder happened. You have to understand that I was overprotected and gullible. I had no idea what was going to happen. When my dad and brother came home that night I didn’t know what was going to happen.

franelllla asks: How much contact did you have with your father prior to the incident?

Kylie Fitter: There was an occasional visit. I saw him two months before the murder and he displayed no signs of mental illness that I could see. Growing up, my father was a caring and protective father. It was when I was a young teenager that he started to get into drugs and that is when him and my mum separated. It was actually my mother who encouraged me to go and visit my father and forgive him and give him a second chance.

kurt asks: Why was it that your Aunty, who has never met you wants such vengeance on you? Why had she not seen your Mum for 15 years?

Kylie Fitter: My family and I don’t really know my aunty. It is very hard for me to comment on that. I accept that she must be hurting and angry with what has happened, but I can’t comment beyond that. To the best of my knowledge, there was very little contact for many years and I believe that is due to an estranged relationship. They did have contact when their father died and they have exchanged a couple of Christmas cards several years ago. And my mother tried to escape to Queensland in 2001 to get away from my dad. My mother felt that it wasn’t going to work, so she brought me back down and that was the last time I saw her and the first time I met her. That was 10 months before the murder.

spaceman asks: What are conditions like in your prison? Is it more like hospital (Internet, TV etc.)?

Kylie Fitter: No, it is far from it. The staff are quite caring, but I am bound by regulations to endure things such as strip searches on every return back to the centre. I am constantly monitored all the time with security cameras and there are 20-minute checks at night which means they shine a torch in your bedroom. Contrary to Anne’s comments, there is a no-touch policy, so there are no cuddles or physical contact whatsoever. I am not on medication and the HECS debt for university is accumulating against my name. Everything you say is analysed and it is very difficult to form relationships. I feel very alone and isolated and it is not an ideal place to live in or grow up in. I wouldn’t wish anyone to be where I am.

Chris asks: Do you think that the prison system helps or hinders those who are found to have a mental illness?

Kylie Fitter: I think it definitely hinders. The thing is, you are not differentiated from any other prisoner due to your legal status as a mental health patient. The cruellest part is the indefinite nature of my detention. All other people have a release date, but with me it is a constant torment and I am constantly in limbo. I can’t see how that would be helpful to improve my mental health.

spaceman asks: What is the deal on the weekend release? What can you do and not do?

Kylie Fitter: I have to be supervised in everything I do. I come home on a Friday night to Bob and Jan’s place, I spend a lot of time studying for university. When I have my breaks I do things such as shopping, cooking, walking the dog, playing soccer on Sunday afternoons and I go to church on Sunday mornings. I also attend social events with Bob and Jan such as my cousin’s wedding, barbecues, musicals, pool parties but one of them has to be with me at all times. What I can’t do is take drugs, I can’t consume alcohol, and I can’t break the law. I have to ring the centre every day to let them know how I am going as part of my conditions for weekend release. I really enjoy my weekend leave and it is definitely the highlight of the week for me.

GreenTrackieDackies asks: If you don’t get the release you are seeking, does that mean you will be moving to an adult correctional centre in the near future, considering your age? How do you feel about that prospect?

Kylie Fitter: I have just been told this week that I can still stay in the juvenile facility regardless of my age, up until my release, but that has been a great source of stress for a long time because no one gave me any assurance that would not happen. I’ve been terrified at the prospect of going to an adult correctional facility. I am quite relieved with this week’s news.

Sarah asks: Do you still require counselling/support to help you cope with this traumatic event?

Kylie Fitter: Bob and Jan and Anna have been a great support and at times, when I do feel distressed or tormented, they have been very helpful in listening to me, working it through. In the centre, there are professional counsellors and a psychologist and they have been very good. They can help me though the process, but I don’t feel that that process will ever finish. The horror of what I have been through will always be there.

julia asks: I know that the Christian Democrats are hosting a petition for your release. How did you get the support of Fred Nile?

Kylie Fitter: It wasn’t Fred Nile, it was Gordon Moyes. Gordon Moyes has longstanding interest in mental health and justice for detainees who are found not guilty by reason of mental illness. I am very grateful for his support and the many people who have signed the petition.

Raven asks: Do you ever fear you may have another ‘episode’ sometime in the future and be in the same position you are in now?

Kylie Fitter: It seems extremely unlikely because several psychiatrists have assessed me and have declared that they have considered me to be a very low risk of re-offending, or of having other episodes. You need to remember the circumstances that I was under when I was 15. I was in a warm and stable relationship with my mum. My father somehow managed to manipulate my state of mind to enter into that bizarre night. It is impossible for me to be in those circumstances of vulnerability again because I am not allowed to see my father or brother. I have a much broader view of the world now and have gained discernment about mental health issues.

nw asks: Did you ever experience any form of mental illness or condition — even such as depression, prior to this episode?

Kylie Fitter: Yes, I have. I had clinical depression at the age of 12. This stayed with me until I was 17. I was on anti-depressants, but was off them at 17. I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after I had realised that my mother was murdered instead of her spirit. That lasted for about three years after the event.

Nina asks: What happened to your father and brother?

Kylie Fitter: I am not sure if I am allowed to mention anything about them due to legal reasons. It was mentioned on the show that they have protection and suppressed identities. But I will confirm that they are detained.

razzle asks: How do the other students at university accept your situation?

Kylie Fitter: No one seems to know of my situation. But I am ready to live with my story, no matter who knows. I hope that they have come to accept me for who I am and not my story. I get on well with people at university and relate to them naturally. I have enjoyed a couple of close relationships.

paulina asks: Wasn’t there a legal challenge some time ago in relation to your mother’s assets taken on behalf of your Aunty?

Kylie Fitter: Yes, that is correct. The findings of that case are available on the Supreme Court website.

Matt asks: What do you say to people who suggest you are, and should remain, in detention, not because of the risk to the public, but because of the assistance you gave to your father and brother?

Kylie Fitter: I would understand why people would think that. It is a perfectly natural reaction. People who are detained because of mental illness need treatment not punishment. We have to live with the horror of what we have been through and that is punishment beyond anything you could imagine.

rnj asks: Will you have to be segregated from other prisoners now that you have come forward into the public arena?

Kylie Fitter: No, because the centre prohibited the other detainees to view the program tonight.

Sarah asks: The guilt you feel must get intense sometimes, how do you deal with those situations?

Kylie Fitter: There are definitely times when it gets the better of me. I need the help of counsellors and friends to help me get through it. The prison chaplain is very helpful in all of this as well. My paternal aunt has been a great source of strength to me over the last year.

NicoleD asks: Kylie, do you honestly feel you deserve to be let out to start living your life again after helping take away some one else’s life?

Kylie Fitter: Yes, I do. I have spent a long time proving my stability. I believe given that five years have passed, that I should be given the opportunity to make a fresh start with the support of my network of friends and family. Professional counsellors are also in my support network. I am in no way trying to minimise the horror of what happened.

Sarah_David asks: When you are free, what plans do you have? Career/family/life in general?

Kylie Fitter: I would like to graduate to become a nutritionist. It is too early for me to make predictions about marriage and family and the future in general. I would love to have the opportunity to have a normal life and make those plans.

dizz asks: Kylie, I was wondering, what do you want the public to do to assist you in this matter, if they believe your story?

Kylie Fitter: Due to the fact that the power is in the politician’s hands, I would like them to write to the minister for health, John Hatzistergos and the assistant health minister Cherie Burton. Let them know that you do not approve of politicians having power over the future of mental health detainees. It is not fair that a person who can get a benefit in an election should have the right to keep detainees incarcerated so that their political popularity improves. The power of the politician is not used in criminal cases that are left with a judge and a jury, so why should a mental health detainee have a different system? The decisions for people like me should be in the hands of a proper court, not a politician.

Interviewer: Unfortunately we are out of time, are there any last comments you want to make before we finish?

Kylie Fitter: I really hope that people will see the awful situation that people like me have to suffer on top of the experiences that will always haunt their memories. Thank you for your interest and thank you for your questions.

Interviewer: Once again, thank you and goodnight.
This concludes our live chat with Kylie Fitter, September 24, 2006
Produced by ninemsn.com.au in Sydney, Australia
© 2006 ninemsn.com.au