Advertisement

Retired B.C. doctor stabbed to death on vacation in the Bahamas

Geoffrey Harding, 88, had a long medical career in B.C. Submitted

VANCOUVER – A former B.C. doctor was killed last Wednesday while on vacation in the Bahamas.

Eighty-eight-year-old Geoffrey Harding, who was born in the U.K., was stabbed and killed in an apparent home invasion.

Police in the Bahamas said a handyman discovered Harding dead about noon in his home in Clarence Town, Long Island. He had multiple stab wounds.

Detectives arrested a 43-year-old suspect from the island and he is expected to be formally charged with murder later this week, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean.

He called the incident rare.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“Someone took the opportunity and risked it,” he said on Monday, declining to provide further details about what happened. “You don’t have those types of incidents on that island.”

Story continues below advertisement

Police told the family the suspect stabbed Harding when he refused to give him money, the relative said. The suspect is also wanted for questioning in connection with a nearby house break-in, according to a police news release.

Grandson Jamie Pruckl told Global News his father Thor is now in the Bahamas and the family is trying to come to terms with the news. Harding reportedly visited the island regularly and had bought property in the area of Clarence Town on Long Island.

“He was an exceptional person, very caring and there was [not] a wicked bone in his body,” said Harding’s son-in-law Thor Pruckl. “He was an incredibly nice person and to have something like this  happen here is despicable.”

Harding worked in B.C. for many years and practiced in Vancouver, Northern B.C. and Gabriola Island.

He built the first clinic in Chetwynd and Mayor Merlin Nichols says the doctor was well-respected in the community. He left there more than two decades ago, but is still remembered for delivering many babies in the area.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department responded with a brief note saying Harding was a citizen of the United Kingdom and any inquiries should be directed at the British High Commission.

– With files from The Canadian Press

Advertisement

Sponsored content

AdChoices