A woman accused of attacking a toddler will remain behind bars in a specialized mental health unit after appearing in court.
Dressed in a blue jumpsuit, Pamila-Raye Jetta, 21, appeared in Perth He was charged in the Magistrates Court with assaulting a two-year-old girl while her mother carried her through the Hawaiin’s Park Center shopping center in East Victoria Park on Tuesday.
The alleged attack, which was captured on CCTV, left the girl with facial injuries.
The court heard Thursday that Jetta had a history of mental health problems and was “known” at the Melaleuca and Bandyup women’s prisons. PerthNow reported.
The matter was adjourned for several hours after Aboriginal Legal Services lawyer Karen Bamforth requested that her client undergo a mental health assessment before the brief hearing.
Ms Bamforth asked Magistrate Sandra De Maio not to make a hospital order that would send Jetta to the Frankland Center forensic hospital.
Instead, Bamforth asked that his client receive more personalized treatment as part of a specialized program.
A mental health nurse who assessed Jetta told the court the specialist unit was the most appropriate treatment facility.
Pamila-Raye Jetta, 21, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday accused of assaulting a two-year-old girl.
The alleged incident took place at Hawaiin’s Park Center in East Victoria Park on Tuesday.
The nurses added that the Frankland Center, which has 30 beds, informed them they could not accommodate Jetta.
The nurse also told the court that Jetta had complied with treatment when he was previously in prison.
Ms De Maio accepted the application and adjourned her matter until November for further legal advice.
The random attack allegedly took place at Park Center on Albany Highway in East Victoria Park in Perth’s south-east at around 1.25pm on Tuesday.
Images from the scene showed a woman approaching the child who was in his mother’s arms.
Pamila-Raye Jetta (pictured during her arrest) appeared at Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Seconds later, he reached out and hit the girl before her mother quickly backed away.
The woman then fled the scene.
Neither the mother nor the child knew her.
WA Premier Roger Cook said on Wednesday he was pleased an arrest had been made.
“It must have been incredibly traumatic for the mother and potentially very serious injuries for the baby involved,” he said.