Mother of NRL Stars Faces Mental Health Court Over Tragic Crash
The mother of premiership-winning NRL star Payne Haas will use a mental health defence regarding the deaths of three people in a devastating head-on collision during a police pursuit. Uiatu "Joan" Taufua appeared before the Queensland Supreme Court on Thursday for an arraignment on three counts of manslaughter stemming from the catastrophic crash that occurred on December 30, 2022.
Court Proceedings and Mental Health Defence
During what was supposed to be a plea hearing, Taufua's barrister Martin Longhurst instead requested the matter be referred to the Mental Health Court. Mr Longhurst revealed he had received a psychiatric report just the previous afternoon that referenced a potential Section 27 defence under Queensland's criminal code.
Section 27 provides what is commonly known as an insanity defence, stating that a person cannot be held criminally responsible for an act if they were experiencing delusions or lacked the mental capacity to control their actions or understand they were wrong.
"This matter has a long history ... a psychiatric report has been a very long time coming," Mr Longhurst told the court. He urged Justice Elizabeth Wilson to immediately refer the case to the Mental Health Court, which determines whether an alleged offender was of unsound mind at the time of the incident.
The Fatal Collision and Victims
Police allege that Taufua was fleeing officers before her vehicle collided head-on with another car on a narrow rural road in the Gold Coast hinterland. The crash claimed the lives of Chris Fawcett, 79, Susan Zimmer, 70, and her 35-year-old daughter Steffanie Zimmer.
Taufua, who stood in the dock wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a black dress with yellow flower pattern, was the sole survivor of the collision. The mother of Brisbane Broncos forward Payne Haas and Gold Coast Titans player Klese Haas was on parole at the time of the incident after serving a nine-month prison sentence for assaulting two security guards at The Star casino.
Family Tragedy and Legal Complications
Mr Longhurst previously told the Supreme Court in October that Taufua had been displaying "very aberrant behaviour" leading up to the driving incident and had struggled to accept the death of her son, Chace Haas. The 21-year-old had died in Gold Coast Hospital in August 2020 after living his entire life using a wheelchair following a car accident when he was just five months old.
Crown prosecutor Dejana Kovac expressed concern about the timing of the mental health referral, noting it was "very unfortunate for the parents of the deceased." She stated that the prolonged process has already had an impact on the families of the victims and that the situation could have been avoided if these issues had been addressed earlier.
Justice Wilson agreed to suspend Taufua's Supreme Court matter, remanding her in custody. The case will return to the Supreme Court in February for an update on the Mental Health Court's progress. Taufua had been committed to stand trial in November 2024 after conceding she had a prima facie case to answer.
