Woman recovers from 'Scientology' stabbing

Herald-Sun, Australia/July 19, 2007

A Sydney woman allegedly stabbed by her daughter in an attack that killed two other family members has been released from hospital.

The 52-year-old mother of six, who cannot be named, has been recovering in hospital since the deadly attack at the family home in Revesby, in Sydney's south-west, on July 6.

A St George Hospital spokeswoman said the woman was discharged yesterday.

The woman's 25-year-old daughter is accused of fatally stabbing her 53-year-old father and 15-year-old sister and injuring her mother, who raised the alarm when she collapsed on a neighbour's driveway.

The daughter, who is in Liverpool Hospital, has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.

The charges have been adjourned to Burwood Local Court on September 24, when she will appear via audio-visual link.

A Sydney court was told earlier this month that the daughter was refused follow-up hospital treatment after she was diagnosed with a psychotic illness late last year, because of her parents' belief in Scientology.

It was further alleged her parents stopped her taking prescribed medicine and started her on non-psychiatric drugs they got from America.

The Church of Scientology was established by American writer L Ron Hubbard in 1954 and now has more than 4,300 branches around the world.

The controversial church, which includes Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its high-profile followers, says psychiatry undermines religion by treating the human soul as physical.