A young girl is in police custody for a second time in almost a year after trying to get help with mental health issues.
Lily was taken into police custody outside of the IWK Health Centre in Halifax last year after seeking hospital help.
Now, she back in custody – this time in a jail cell.
Lily’s mother, Vicky Morinville, says she was locked up when she needed mental health treatment.
“She was banging her head, hitting her head,” says Morinville. “They tried putting a helmet on her head and handcuffing her to see if it would bring things down, and it didn’t.”
Lily’s mother says she is 15 but has the mentality of a six-year-old. Lily is currently living in a small options home in Yarmouth.
“The director of her home in Yarmouth called me to let me know what was happening,” says Morinville. “She had been taken from school by police, she was at the hospital. The next thing I heard was that she had been arrested.”
After Lily was arrested, her mother got a call from a police officer.
“The police said that she had been charged with assault and that she would be in court this morning to face those charges,” says her mother
After her arrest, Lily was eventually transported to the IWK with a urinary tract infection.
Her mother isn’t blaming the RCMP, who say they aren’t pursuing charges.
“We’re forcing the police in a horrible situation where they have to be a safety barrier between people with mental illness and them harming themselves, or someone else,” says Morinville.
Lily’s mother says she isn’t pointing the finger at anyone, and that she’s very pleased with the care her daughter is receiving at her small options home.
Morinville only had positive things to say about healthcare workers and the police, but says there is a gap in the system and something has to change.
Health Minister Leo Glavinesays he’s prepared look into Lily’s case and see why circumstances escalated.
Vicky Morinville says her daughter reminds her of Ashley Smith, who took her own life while under watch in a prison.
“When I look back at that video of her, I see Lily,” says Morinville.
She believes Nova Scotia needs somewhere for young people to go when the hospital isn’t the right place for them.
Adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Stan Kutcher agrees with Lily’s mother, but says more information is needed.
“I think that would be great if we had that resource,” says Kutcher. “The challenge for us is determining how many people would need that resource and where.”
“I have no answers,” says Lily’s mother. “I have a lot of questions, and certainly a lot of concerns.”
Vicky Morinville’s main concern is that the same scenario could easily happen again if things don’t change.
With files from CTV’s Kayla Hounsell.
