A teenage girl who was allegedly raped by a 13-year-old male patient at Perth Children's Hospital's mental health unit has spoken out about her experience. The girl, identified as Florence to protect her identity, was 13 at the time of the alleged assault last year. She and her parents have shared their story with the ABC in the hope of preventing similar incidents.
Florence wrote about the ordeal, stating, 'Knowing I'm not the only one genuinely shatters me. We were supposed to be protected.' She was shocked to find boys in the same mixed-sex mental health ward when she was admitted. She woke up to find the male patient in her room; earlier that day, he had allegedly told her he planned to drug the nurses so he could 'do stuff' to her.
After the alleged rape, Florence waited hours for help. 'I fell asleep hugging my knees up to my chest, hoping he wouldn't come back in,' she said. She had been admitted to the hospital after being allegedly raped by a stranger she met online three months earlier. Her parents feared she might harm herself.
Florence's father, Luke, described the second alleged assault as 'absolutely gut wrenching.' Her mother, Rachel, said, 'We've had to fight so hard just to find out the basic details of what happened to our little girl that night.' A review found that staff failed to perform hourly checks between 12.30am and 3.30am, having sequestered themselves in the nurse's station. The family was told nurses were afraid of the male patient.
The family has been unable to obtain CCTV footage from the night, which the review said showed the male patient crawling into Florence's room at 12.33am. Discrepancies exist between the review and CCTV notes regarding nurse movements. Valerie Jovanovic, CEO of Child and Adolescent Health Service, stated that immediate support was provided and a full review conducted. She noted that $7.7 million has been allocated for ward changes, emphasising patient safety as the highest priority.
