Content warning: This article contains references to suicide.
A coroner has concluded that police were unable to prevent a man from ingesting a fatal substance during his arrest at a home in Kyneton, north-west of Melbourne.
Phillip Reidy, 27, who had a history of mental health issues and was known to authorities, died at his residence in July 2024.
The inquest revealed that on July 2 around 2:30pm, two officers arrived at Reidy’s Windridge Way home to arrest him for alleged criminal damage linked to a domestic violence incident earlier that day.
Just nine seconds after the handcuffs were removed—while officers were close by—Reidy walked to a desk, picked up a white bottle, and consumed a poisonous substance.
He quickly began showing symptoms and collapsed on the kitchen floor, telling officers, “Tell my mum I love her,” and, when asked what was happening, responded, “I’m dying.”
The officers administered CPR until paramedics arrived, but Reidy was declared dead shortly after.
Coroner Paul Lawrie determined that Reidy had taken the poison with the intent to end his life.
He noted that police had acted appropriately by allowing Reidy to use the bathroom while applying handcuffs, and that his actions were calculated to conceal his intent.
“He deliberately turned his back to obscure his actions, and it happened very quickly,” Lawrie said.
“No fault can be assigned to the officers for not recognising what he was doing in those few seconds.”
The court learned that Reidy’s partner had informed police he had the poison, but that detail wasn’t communicated to the officers involved in the arrest. The oversight was attributed to the briefing officer focusing on the domestic violence issue—something the coroner accepted as “human fallibility.”
Despite the lapse, Lawrie said it could not be concluded that officers would have acted differently in the moments leading up to Reidy’s death.
Coroner Calls for National Regulation of Hazardous Substances
Coroner Lawrie also recommended the establishment of a national framework for controlling access to restricted poisons after it was revealed that Reidy obtained the substance online.
Using false information, Reidy exploited a scientific exemption to purchase the poison from a company in New South Wales in mid-2023.
In NSW, such an exemption allows poison supply for scientific research purposes. However, Reidy submitted a declaration using a fake business name, THX Network—a company actually known for blockchain-based rewards programs, not scientific research.
“This should have raised red flags,” Lawrie said. He also pointed out that the poison was shipped to Victoria, where the exemption does not apply.
“Even if his claimed exemption had been valid, the compound was delivered to a state where that exception wasn’t recognized,” Lawrie added, urging for unified national controls on Schedule 7 poisons.
Reidy’s Mother Hopes Son’s Death Spurs Change
A victim impact statement from Phillip Reidy’s mother, Sandra, was read aloud in court.
“Phillip was a caring person who found it difficult to express himself,” she wrote.
She described his early diagnosis of ADHD, his struggles at school, and the mental health challenges he faced as an adult.
“I wonder whether better communication before his death could have made a difference,” she said.
“I hope something is learned from this experience so that others navigating similar struggles are better supported.”
