A NSW health official has described a father who killed himself in his home during a planned custody visit as a “wonderful colleague” and “beloved friend”.
James Harrison, 38, a health analyst from NSW, and his toddler son Rowan were found dead in a unit on College Street in East Lismore on NSW’s far north coast on Sunday evening after police were called to conduct a welfare check.
Staff at the NSW Health Clinical Excellence Commission received an email on Wednesday, three days after Harrison’s alleged murder-suicide.
The bodies of James Harrison, 38 (pictured) and his son Rowan were found in the East Lismore unit
CEC Director of Information Management Andre Jenkins sent an email to all staff on Wednesday morning describing Harrison as a “wonderful colleague” and “beloved friend”, despite NSW Police treating his and his son’s deaths as a murder-suicide
The email, sent by CEC Director of Information Management Andre Jenkins after a morning staff meeting, outlined the “support services” available following Harrison’s death.
“It is with indescribable sadness that I let you know that James Harrison and his son Rowan passed away on Sunday,” Mr Jenkins wrote in the email he received from The Telegraph.
“There are no words to adequately describe the loss of a wonderful colleague and beloved friend.
‘Many of you have also shared and [had] memories of Rowan that emerge during meetings with his proud father.’
Staff branded Mr Jenkins’ email as “tone deaf” because it failed to acknowledge that the deaths of Harrison and his son were being treated as a murder-suicide by NSW police.
Health Minister Ryan Park branded the email ‘completely unacceptable’ and claimed it caused ‘significant distress’ to staff.
Mr Park added that the email did not reflect the views of NSW Health and was not endorsed or authorized by the department.
Details emerged on Tuesday that Harrison had a history of domestic violence and that an arrest warrant (AVO) was extended by the court in March to protect his son’s mother, Doctor Sophie Roome.
Police discovered the bodies of Harrison and Rowan after Dr Roome raised the alarm when her only child was not brought home as planned in the afternoon.
The intensive care specialist, who works as a doctor at the local hospital, went to police with initial fears that Harrison may have fled the city with Rowan.
An unanswered police knock on Harrison’s front door increased the fear.
Several hours later, police returned and forced their way inside, where they found the tragic scene.
Police have since admitted they walked away when no one opened the door to the house when they first attended at 5.30pm.
Local police admitted to Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that officers subsequently returned to their police station to conduct ‘further investigations’.
After the warning was issued, it took another four hours for them to return to the address under pressure from the boy’s distraught mother and her family.
Lismore doctor Dr Sophie Roome with her son Rowan, who tragically died in a suspected murder-suicide on Sunday evening
Officers eventually returned to the address more than four hours later at 9.45pm and discovered that Harrison had set up an elaborate ‘poison gas’ system to kill him and little Rowan.
It is revealed that Dr. Roome had primary custody of Rowan, but Harrison visited his son regularly.
She and Harrison split last year, not long after moving to the Northern Rivers region.
While investigations continue, anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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