It was last October when 18-year-old Sydney Leer intentionally set her Penticton townhouse complex on fire, the same day she was released from hospital for her mental state.
This week, the troubled teenager was sentenced to another two years in prison followed by three years probation.
Last November, Leer pleaded guilty to one charge of arson causing damage to property for the fire at the Cascades Gardens townhouse complex on Penticton Ave.
Damage was estimated at more than $1 million.
Leer will serve her time in a federal prison instead of a provincial jail so she can get more help for her mental health.
After Leer’s arrest, both a psychiatrist and a psychologist conducted a court ordered assessment to determine whether she was suffering a mental disorder that would exempt her from criminal responsibility.
Leer was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, meaning she had trouble regulating her emotions, prompting impulsive behavior.
However, the doctor determined Leer was not suffering from a disorder that would prevent her from appreciating the nature and quality of her actions.
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Leer was found mentally fit to face criminal charges.
In handing down his sentence, judge Greg Koturbash said one of the largest providers of mental health in this province is the criminal justice system.
“It remains a constant challenge for those involved in the criminal justice system, in our de facto roles as mental health workers, to ensure those struggling with mental illness are treated fairly and appropriately by the system,” Koturbash said in his reasons for judgement.
Global News showed the ruling to Michele Gardiner, a youth counsellor based in Summerland.
Gardiner was asked if Leer was let down by the public healthcare system.
“Somewhere something fell through the crack, so my answer to that is yes,” she said.
Leer’s mother pleaded with medical staff to keep her daughter in the hospital, arguing that Leer was suffering from more than a teenage fit.
“I am sure some will criticize the doctor for releasing Ms. Leer from the hospital,” Koturbash said in his ruling. “This is not the forum to decide whether that decision was correct.”
The Interior Health Authority said it conducted a review of the psychiatrist’s assessment of Leer after the fire.
“It was determined that there was no need for a further review. This can occur when clinical guidelines are followed, an individual is appropriately assessed in the clinical setting, and the Mental Health Act is considered,” said a statement from Dr. Paul Dagg, the Program Medical Director of the Mental Health and Substance Use Program.
Gardiner said more funding is needed for mental health.
“It would be nice if there was more of a preventative piece, so if money and funds were diverted and pooled more into mental health and community,” she said.
Leer’s case was one of hundreds involving police every year.
Penticton recorded a 15 per cent increase in mental health calls between 2015 and 2016.
Six-hundred and thirty-one files were recorded by the Penticton detachment under the Mental Health Act in 2015, compared to 756 last year.
The local RCMP detachment is hiring a dedicated mental health liaison officer.
“If we can’t find what the root cause is, we’re just going to keep seeing an increase in calls for service,” said Penticton RCMP Supt. Ted De Jager.
As for Leer, Gardiner said she hopes the teen will get the support she needs from behind bars.
WATCH: Woman accused of setting Penticton townhouse complex fire pleads guilty to arson
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