Mother of NSW police shooting victim demands mental health reforms a year after son’s death

‘This issue is not going away’: Judy Deacon’s son Jesse was shot by NSW police during a mental health episode a year ago. Photograph: Isabella Moore/The Guardian

A year ago to the day, Judy Deacon got a call to head to the police station.

The 80-year-old expected the issue to be that her son, Jesse, had been hospitalised again. But on her way there, she got a phone call from Jesse’s father. He was crying, and as soon as she heard the tears, she knew her son had died, she said.