Autistic teen released from cells

An 18-year-old autistic woman with a mental age of 11 is to go to a specialist hospital for mental health patients after being held in the Nelson police cells for three days.

Emma Steenson reappeared in the Nelson District Court yesterday after facing a variety of charges on Saturday and was bailed to Hillmorton Hospital in Christchurch.

She was arrested by Nelson police after allegedly assaulting her mother.

Controversy arose over her being kept in police cells and Prime Minister John Key made inquiries about the matter yesterday.

He said at his post-Cabinet press conference he understood she had been remanded on bail until April 6 to live at Hillmorton Hospital.

"It's quite clear that Emma needs specialist care, and in my opinion she shouldn't be in a police cell. She needs specialist help," Mr Key said.

The bail conditions included that she was personally delivered to the hospital and that suitable transport was organised by the police.

The teenager had been referred to a residential care facility for people with behavioural issues, but was discharged last week. Police were working yesterday with Autism New Zealand and her mother to get her into a home for autistic people.

Nelson Bays police area commander Inspector Brian McGurk said Steenson's mother had contacted police early on Saturday to say her daughter was behaving aggressively and threatening her.

Steenson was arrested on an outstanding warrant on charges of wilful damage and possessing an offensive weapon, for allegedly taking to her neighbour's windows with a golf club on October 18 last year.

She also faced charges of assaulting and using threatening behaviour against her mother on March 8.

She had appeared in court on those charges on Saturday and was remanded in custody to reappear yesterday, Mr McGurk said.

"The problem we were stuck with on Saturday morning was ... she was a threat to herself and to other people.

"The option was she would have been released, but she would have had nowhere to go, no assistance and would probably either reoffend probably in a violent manner or be victimised herself."

Autism New Zealand's national operations manager Wendy Duff said Steenson definitely needed treatment and Hillmorton was a good option.

- NZPA