The property where I live is at 42 and 44 Spencer Avenue, Maketu, and next door are Kevin and Cathy Halliday. Late in 2007 I was at home when a couple of cars and a police car arrived. It startled me a little when the knock on the door came, and the door lock was malfunctioning, so I couldn't answer it but had to tell them I'd come out the back and meet them outside.
When they informed me that they were an emergency crash team from the Bay of Plenty Health Board, and they were here to take me away and put me in the psychiatric ward at Tauranga Hospital.
Hearing 17th January 2008"This is an application for a compulsory community treatment order. It is opposed by Malcolm Baker, who is represented by Mr Tuck. The evidence
presented to me would indicate that Malcolm has been engaging in some bizarre behaviour. I am told that in the view of the psychiatrist he
suffers from persecutory beliefs."
J.O. Donovan
Family Court Judge.
As it was a bright sunny day and I was planning to mow the lawns, naturally I told then that I was concerned to hear this and would prefer not to leave my house, however they were insistant, so I told them that they had better be right with their facts, and asked them if it would be ok if I went inside to get a few things.
At the hospital I was put in a secure room and waited to seak with the doctor. When he arrived and spoke to me I remember asking him, at some point duuring the interview "Who was it who complained and had me put in here" He replied, somewhat irritatedly "I already told you, it was Cathy (Haliday)".
I'm not surprised I didn't hear him the first time. It was something I found difficult to believe, because I thought Cathy and I were friends, despite the Halidays having issued me with a trespass order to stay off their property. The stress level was extremely high for me. It wasn't long before I decided I needed a cigarette, and I contacted my cousin Phil on my cell phone and asked him to try to bring in some tobacco for me.
The stay in the hospital wasn't easy, because I thought these issues had been sorted out some time before. It wasn't just the rutine, or the confinement, or the other patients. It was the uncertainty about the length of the sentence, the future, the fact that I was forced to take medication each night, and the fact we had to be in bed by 10.30 pm and stay in our rooms until 8 or 7.00 the next morning and the complete loss of freedom and decision making. To make things even worse, it was christmas. Although I can't recall the exact date of my detention, I think I was allowed to return home christmas eve, during the day, to tidy up a bit and mow some of the lawns. I was driven home by one of the male nurses, who was also dropping off another patient. We discovered a tin of cat food on teh bench in th kitchen whichI had left out and which was stinking. Overall they weren't too shocked by the state of my house, so I washed some dishes, and mowed some lawns before it was time to go back to the ward. The day was very warm and sunny.
Christmas Day was very festive, with presents on the tree and a specialChristmas dinner and menu. Despite this I found it difficult to get into teh Christmas spirit. Not getting into it however would have been seen as odd behaviour. There was a Santa Clause who handed out presents for us and then left for teh main medical wards of teh hospital. Somebody said we had to kiss Santa before we could receive a present, and I wasn't the only one who was inclined to agree. We were all asked to do a lot more bizaire things than that. In the afternoon I was allowed out, and since
ome out