A Tasmanian man who stabbed a father of two to death at a service station south of Hobart in 2019 has been released into the community under strict conditions.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found not guilty of the manslaughter of Taroona man Reid Ludwig after a jury found he was not fit to stand trial.
The then-teenager stabbed 41-year-old Mr Ludwig, who was returning a trailer with his family, with a large knife outside a Blackmans Bay service station.
Justice Helen Wood said Mr Ludwig got into an altercation with the man's friend outside the service station, and pushed him to the ground, when the man pulled a large knife out of a bag and stabbed Mr Ludwig in the chest.
Mr Ludwig went into cardiac arrest and died in hospital soon after he was stabbed.
Justice Wood said the man told his friend "I shouldn't have done that" after stabbing Mr Ludwig, and asked his sister "why did I do that?".
He was held by a member of the public for 15 minutes before police officers arrived and was described as being in a dazed and bewildered state.
Justice Wood said Mr Ludwig was unarmed and did not threaten or gesture towards the man before he was stabbed.
"The uncontroversial evidence is the knife penetrated deep into his body," she said.
"The jury must have been satisfied he intended to cause bodily harm, or was likely to."
She said the jury was also satisfied he did not act in self-defence, or if he did, used "excessive force" in doing so.
Man to return to community under 'strict' conditions
Mr Ludwig's family told the court in a victim impact statement that his death had had a "devastating, profound and enduring" impact on them.
They voiced concern about the prospect of chance encounters with the man, which they said would be traumatic.
They said they were hopeful the man could be rehabilitated, but they were worried he posed a risk to the community and would re-offend.
Justice Wood said the man had autism spectrum disorder, with medical experts disagreeing significantly about the degree of his mental impairment.
She said the consensus was that he posed a low risk of future re-offending as long as he was provided with a National Disability Insurance Scheme package, didn't carry weapons or find himself in antagonistic situations.
Justice Wood granted the man's release — provided he complied with conditions — on January 10, but a suppression order preventing it from being published was only lifted on Thursday.
Justice Wood allowed the man to return to the community as long as he did not carry or collect knives or weapons, complied with the directions of a probation officer and attended counselling, treatment and support appointments as required.
She also ordered him not to leave Tasmania while the order is in place, that he abstains from drinking alcohol, does not attend certain places, does not contact certain associates, and that he not leave his house between 10pm and 6am.
She said the conditions were "strict and lengthy" and reflected the concerns of Mr Ludwig's family.
