A Nova Scotia woman with an intellectual disability will be going to trial on assault charges.
Amanda Murphy is accused of striking a staff member at the group home where she lives. She is facing two counts of assault in connection with the alleged incident.
The 34-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to the charges in Antigonish provincial court Wednesday morning. Her trial has been set for July 14.
Her mother, Iris Murphy, spoke with CTV News earlier this week. She is calling for change in the way her daughter and others with special needs are being dealt with in the justice system.
“It’s been absolute anguish for us,” Iris Murphy told CTV News on Monday. “She doesn’t have any idea of the gravity of her situation, none whatsoever.”
She says her daughter has an intellectual disability, epilepsy, ADHD and is bipolar.
“She has temper tantrums consistent with that of a small child.”
Developmentally, Murphy says her daughter is between five and eight years old. In 2001, she was deemed incompetent.
Murphy says her daughter should always be held accountable for inappropriate behavior, but that the consequences should be consistent with her development age.
The case echoes that of Nichele Benn, another Nova Scotia woman with special needs who is facing assault charges.
Benn, 26, is also accused of attacking a staff member at the care facility where she lives. Like Murphy, Benn’s mother has been fighting for change in the criminal justice system when it comes to dealing with people with special needs.
Iris Murphy says people with special needs are a vulnerable population who shouldn’t be criminalized, and that they need more support from government and society.
