A woman has been charged with sabotaging gas supplies at a Sydney hospital just days after a 72-year-old man died under mysterious circumstances, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. Police alleged that Vanessa Moulton, 42, deliberately cut off the non-medical gas supply and water mains at Kareena private hospital in Caringbah before allegedly switching off Sutherland public hospital's mainline gas supply at 1:30 am.
The loss of gas forced the hospital to switch to portable oxygen and air as part of its contingency plans. The incident occurred just hours after Moulton was charged with cutting the gas supply and water mains at Kareena private hospital, which was located on the same road as Sutherland public hospital.
Moulton, who has been refused bail, claimed she had failed to report to police on Monday due to an error, saying "I thought it was Sunday, not Monday". The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, described the alleged vandalism as a "heinous act" that put lives at risk. Park confirmed that the gas systems had been restored within two hours of the sabotage and initially reported there was no impact on patient care.
However, further investigation revealed a 72-year-old man died under mysterious circumstances at Sutherland hospital around 2:30 am. The local health district has since launched an investigation into the death, which coincided with the "vandalism event" that interrupted the hospital's mainline gas supply.
Moulton faces charges of sabotage, breach of bail, and other offenses in relation to separate incidents at a Darlinghurst hostel on Monday. She will return to court on December 24.
The loss of gas forced the hospital to switch to portable oxygen and air as part of its contingency plans. The incident occurred just hours after Moulton was charged with cutting the gas supply and water mains at Kareena private hospital, which was located on the same road as Sutherland public hospital.
Moulton, who has been refused bail, claimed she had failed to report to police on Monday due to an error, saying "I thought it was Sunday, not Monday". The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, described the alleged vandalism as a "heinous act" that put lives at risk. Park confirmed that the gas systems had been restored within two hours of the sabotage and initially reported there was no impact on patient care.
However, further investigation revealed a 72-year-old man died under mysterious circumstances at Sutherland hospital around 2:30 am. The local health district has since launched an investigation into the death, which coincided with the "vandalism event" that interrupted the hospital's mainline gas supply.
Moulton faces charges of sabotage, breach of bail, and other offenses in relation to separate incidents at a Darlinghurst hostel on Monday. She will return to court on December 24.