A woman who posed as a nurse to work at a British Columbia hospital has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Brigitte Cleroux, who was facing 11 charges related to the time she faked being a nurse in B.C., is currently in prison in Ontario.
She was previously sentenced to seven years in prison in April 2022 after pleading guilty to criminal negligence causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, impersonation and using forged documents over a similar scheme in Ottawa.
Following the decision on Friday in B.C., the aggregate length of all sentences imposed means Cleroux’s Ontario sentence will be extended by a further four years.
Most of the sentences will be served concurrently, with only the two assault charges to be served consecutively—but concurrently to each other. Cleroux will also be required to undergo DNA testing in connection to assault with a weapon.
Cleroux, who does not have a nursing degree, made a brief and tearful statement in court earlier this month apologizing to the court, the public and patients.
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“By my pleading guilty, I did so because I was remorseful and ashamed by what I had done,” she told the court.
“I wish the victims to heal and apologize for being involved in their care when I shouldn’t have. I recognize that me practicing as an unlicensed nurse causes damage to the medical system because the patients deserved to be cared for by licensed medical professionals. Only then can they feel safe.”
Cleroux worked at the B.C. Women’s Hospital between June 1, 2020, and June 23, 2021, when she was fired over her false credentials.
According to a ruling posted in July 2023, her work involved about 1,150 patients. Previous filings indicate she directly gave care to 899 patients in her time at the hospital.
In July, Cleroux pleaded guilty to the 11 charges related to the time she faked being a nurse in B.C.
The charges include fraud and assaulting patients who didn’t give their consent while she injected them with drugs, despite having no medical credentials.
Cleroux originally hails from Gatineau, Que.
More to come…
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