Perth nurse accused of attempted murder faces trial

“He has pulled out a box under the bed and stuff is everywhere,” she wrote.

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“I honestly could kill him. I won’t, of course.

“Give me a 12-hour night shift with no sleep rather than this.”

The court was also told Wendy had requested no observations or medical intervention be conducted on her husband while she was gone, before CCTV captured her leaving the hospital at 1.45pm on January 15, 2021.

The alarm was raised when a nurse went to conduct an ECG on Kenneth about 4pm that afternoon and couldn’t wake him.

But that alarm was not an emergency warning because the court was told Wendy had signed a “do not resuscitate” order just hours earlier that was now on file.

The court was told the nurse, who became suspicious of Wendy, followed her into the toilets after she returned to the hospital and uncovered an insulin vial dated April 9, 2018 – and allegedly containing Wendy’s DNA – in a waste bin.

That type of insulin was not stocked at Joondalup Health Campus, Ebell said, but was used at Princess Margaret Hospital (now Perth Children’s Hospital), where Wendy had worked in 2018.

And Wendy’s DNA was also allegedly found on a syringe with traces of insulin found in a sharps’ container alongside Kenneth’s bed.

In a police interview on January 20, 2021, Wendy denied Kenneth required insulin, denied asking nursing staff to leave him alone, and said she did not recall going to the toilet.

She also insisted that despite his worsening condition, she wasn’t finding it difficult to care for Kenneth.

He survived the overdose, but Kenneth – who was opposed to the practice of voluntary euthanasia – died due to natural causes just over two months later.

Defence lawyer Seamus Rafferty insisted the case was based solely on circumstantial evidence, that there was no form of murderous intent, and that the pair remained in a loving and caring relationship until Kenneth’s death.

He revealed Wendy had made arrangements for an assessment that would allow her husband to continue being cared for at home just 24 hours before the alleged incident.

And he pointed out the DNA of at least three other people had been found on the vial and syringe being referenced as a key piece of evidence in the case.

“It’s not in dispute; Wendy’s life was very difficult. The person she loved the most in this world was fading away,” he said.

“At no time on January 15, 2021 did she attempt to kill the man she loved – it simply did not happen.

“Things are not as the state alleges. As you well know, there are two sides to every story and Wendy Sym’s side is very clear – she did not try to kill her husband.

“It simply did not happen.”