Devastated colleagues of the Adelaide mother allegedly stabbed to death at her real estate office have spoken out about their heartbreak and shock.
Julie Seed, 38, was allegedly murdered on Wednesday afternoon by a man who had just been released from psychiatric care, leaving workmates calling for urgent change to address what they call a broken system.
“This is something that’s had a huge impact, it’s rippled through,” said Brett Wheatland, a colleague at REAL Estate Agents Group in Plympton
Shaun Michaels Dunk, 30, who had recently been released from psychiatric care at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, was allegedly armed with a hammer and a knife during the attack, which also left Scardigno with serious injuries.
“She’s a fighter. To be a property manager, you’ve got to have thick skin, you’ve got to be tough, and there’s no doubt she’ll pull through,” Wheatland said of Scardigno.
REAL principal and director Ally Comley called for Seed’s death to be honoured as a “turning point to fast-track an immediate overhaul of the SA Mental Health System that has utterly failed so many.”
“There is no person at fault here,” she said.
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“We cannot blame the unfortunate medical staff who released the offender – these too are real people who I’m sure must also be badly affected right now. I feel for them.
“They are duty-bound to follow processes. The blame lies entirely in the inadequacies of the broken system they work within, not them personally.”
Comley said Seed’s family was “suffering incredibly” and credited Scardigno’s “inner strength and the hand of God” for the 50-year-old’s survival.
“She is an inspirational woman and is already making a remarkable recovery due to her tenacity,” Comley said
“But her emotional healing, I’m sure, will be lengthy. We will stand by all of them in every way possible.
“Such tragedies never just stay within a few. They have a ripple effect and in this case, the emotional damage to many families is immense.”
