A terrible case of mistaken identity in New Zealand led to a verbally-limited child being injected with drugs after being taken to a mental health ward by police
A child was bundled into a police car, mistakenly admitted into a mental health ward and injected with drugs following a horror mix-up. The 11-year-old girl was mistakenly identified the girl as a missing woman by police in New Zealand, a report found on Wednesday.
Both health officials and police have desperately tried to explain their mistake, which has horrified political leaders and the public. The child in question exhibited a “limited verbal ability” and was spotted crossing a bridge in northern Hamilton city by a passing police car. The police wrongly identified her as a missing hospital patient – a 20-year-old female.
The police officers then took the girl to the hospital where she was admitted to an “intensive psychiatric care unit”, even though a nurse suggested she “resembled a child”. The Ministry of Health released a review which referred to the girl as “patient A”, saying: “Patient A lives with a disability that means she was not able to tell people about herself.”
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When the patient refused drugs offered to her by the ward, she was physically restrained and injected by the staff with ‘anti-psychotic medication’ that is “rarely administered to children”.
The review spoke further of this incident, which occurred on March 9, stating that the ward’s staff were “working on the assumption that they were administering medication to an adult, not a child” – despite the nurse’s concerns. The child then spent over 12 hours within the hospital before the police acknowledged the mix-up, proceeding to call her family to collect their drugged daughter.
Senior health official, Richard Sullivan, commented on the grave mistake, saying: “I just wish to start by apologising to this young person and her family for the trauma and distress that was caused”. He then reviewed the report as a “frank read” but “necessary – to make sure this doesn’t happen again”.
Just last week, the New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon, launched an investigation after the incident first made headlines. He described the situation as “incredibly distressing and incredibly concerning” and added: “As a parent, you identify with what is a horrific set of circumstances. I have massive amounts of empathy for her and her family”.
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora has also apologised to the girl for the “traumatic experience” and is currently investigating “any medication or treatment” that was given to the 11 year old.
The New Zealand Herald reports that the local police insist they acted in “the best interests of keeping someone safe”.
Additionally, the publication reports that the country’s Mental Health Minister, Matt Doocey, has stated how horrified he is by the case, deeming it “unacceptable and that he expects to be kept “fully informed” of the outcomes of the investigation”.
This alarming case of mistaken identity was the result of the Waikato Police being called to the Fairfield Bridge, Hamilton, at roughly 6.40am local time on Sunday, March 9.
Their instructions included searching for a female in her 20’s as a troubled witness relayed the person in question to have been climbing onto the bridge’s railings.
Waikato district commander, Superintendent Scott Gemmell, said: “Fearing for her safety, police units (including a police boat) responded immediately, and staff attempted to speak to the female [the mistaken girl].
She was unable to give the officers any details and did not have any personal identification on her”. Notably, the Herald has reported the young victim to be autistic and non-verbal.
