A 24-year-old man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a nurse in an unprovoked attacked at Abbotsford Regional Hospital in March 2015.
Ryan Michael Stard appeared briefly in Abbotsford provincial court on Tuesday morning to enter the plea on a charge of assault causing bodily harm. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 13.
Stard had been at the hospital emergency department for medical and mental-health treatment when he attacked a 39-year-old nurse on March 1, 2015.
The attack resulted in the nurse requiring stitches for cuts above and below his eye.
Following the assault, the B.C. Nurses’ Union said the incident traumatized colleagues at the hospital and had hiked concerns about the safety risks that nurses face every day.
Less than two weeks later, Fraser Health announced that changes were being made, including the addition of a round-the-clock security guard to be stationed in the ER.
The hospital previously had two security guards for the entire hospital.
A secure glass door was also added between the waiting area and the triage area, requiring people to be buzzed in and out.