YELLOWKNIFE — A judge has criticized the Yellowknife RCMP for taking an intoxicated sexual assault victim to jail instead of to hospital.
In a decision released earlier this month, Justice Garth Malakoe says there are no circumstances that would justify confining the woman to police cells overnight in May 2017.
Police said in a statement the woman was taken to the cells for her safety.
Malakoe's written judgment says the woman was not treated with compassion and should have been taken to hospital for an examination.
Bree Denning of the Yellowknife Women's Society says that since then, the city has funded shelters for men and women who need a safe place.
She says services and attitudes have improved considerably.
The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
