A SEVERELY disabled teenage girl has had her nose almost bitten off in a sickening attack at a New South Wales government respite home.
Meg Makila, 15, is immobile and was unable to fend off her 22-year-old attacker who was in the same facility, despite government policy dictating children should be in separate homes to adults, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The intellectually disabled man climbed into her bed at the Bomaderry home at 1am on Tuesday and tore into her face and chest with his teeth, leaving her with severe bites, black eyes, bruises and scratches all over her body.
As she underwent emergency surgery, Meg's mother Sandra called for answers from the Department of Ageing and Disability.
She said a manager had refused to reveal most of the details of the attack at the department's respite home, citing "privacy reasons."
"They were very sorry that it had happened but I said I wanted to know who it was and they said they wouldn't tell me because of privacy reasons," Mrs Makila said.
"I don't know what happened and I don't know how it happened.
"Meg is very intellectually and physically disabled, she is unable to do anything for herself, she is fed with a tube into her stomach."
Mrs Makila, who was unable to care for her daughter this week after undergoing a knee replacement, only learned the attacker was aged 22 through The Daily Telegraph.
Opposition disability spokesman Andrew Constance was stunned the facility would ignore policy which was meant to prevent children being placed with adults.
"A 22-year-old should not be in with a 15-year-old full stop. There needs to be a full explanation from the minister to the family as to what has gone on here," he said.
Disability Minister Paul Lynch said the attack on Meg was unacceptable. "Even if proper practices were followed, it is obviously not good enough and every effort will be made to ensure this does not happen again," he said.
Disability department director-general Jim Moore said the two staff on duty at the Melaleuca Place home were in the kitchen at the time preparing meals for residents. They intervened when they heard screams from Meg, who is unable to talk.
He said he was satisfied the staff had done the right thing.
He said the man who attacked Meg had never been seriously violent before and was due to move to a permanent group home next week.
No charges have been laid but the incident has been referred to police.
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25823168-5006784,00.html
I've got a minor disability (Low muscle tone) but even I respect others