Woman pleads guilty to arson at mental health unit

The 28-year-old woman who set fire to a Tasmanian hospital's mental health clinic has pleaded guilty to arson. At the time of the fire, 19 patients were admitted to the clinic, and beds needed to be found elsewhere for them. What's next? The woman will be sentenced before a judge in the Supreme Court. The woman who set a fire in a mental health ward in a north-west Tasmanian public hospital has pleaded guilty to arson. The 28-year-old appeared before Magistrate Katie Edwards via video link from prison in the Burnie Magistrates Court, charged with one count of arson. No facts of the case were heard in court, and the matter was adjourned for facts and sentencing before a Supreme Court Judge in December. Woman charged with arson day after fire The fire broke out in the Spencer Clinic at the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie on September 19. Emergency crews were called to the hospital about 6:30 that night, and it took firefighters several hours to contain the blaze, which caused significant damage. The following day, Tasmania Police said they had charged a 28-year-old woman with arson, and she had been remanded in custody to appear in court. Today was the woman's second appearance before a magistrate. At the outset of proceedings, Tasmania Legal Aid lawyer Claire Willis indicated she would be entering pleas of guilty to the charge on her client's behalf. Magistrate Edwards asked the woman to sign copies of the plea that had been provided to her in prison, before adjourning the matter to the Supreme Court for facts and sentence by a judge. Construction to start on new facility At the time of the fire, 19 patients were admitted to the Spencer Clinic, and beds needed to be found elsewhere in Tasmanian hospitals for them. Earlier in October, Health Minister Bridget Archer said most of the capacity of the clinic would return in November, but part of the building would need to be demolished. Construction work is underway to reopen 10 private rooms in the remaining portion of the building, and a further eight beds elsewhere on the hospital campus will soon be available. For several years the Tasmanian government has been planning to build a new, 22-bed dedicated mental health facility at the hospital. The government has budgeted $40 million for the facility and said earlier this month it had awarded a tender for its construction, which it said would be completed in 2028. [Image text:] ONSITORS BEYONL