WARNING: This story contains graphic details that readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
The trial for a man accused of assaulting nurses at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, N.B., opened on Monday.
Bruce Randolph (Randy) Van Horlick, 70, of Acadieville, has entered not guilty pleas to two counts of assault causing bodily harm, both of which are alleged to have occurred on March 11, 2019.
One of his alleged victims, Natasha Poirier, was the first person to take the witness stand.
Poirier, a nurse manager, told court Van Horlick came into her office and requested his wife be moved to a different room.
She testified Van Horlick said his wife was having seizures as a result of doctor-prescribed medication and gave her “three seconds” to make a decision on relocating his wife.
But after a conversation, Poirier says she “froze,” and testified that Van Horlick pulled her from her chair by her hair and started twisting her arm and bending her fingers.
“That’s when I started to scream for help because that’s when it hurt,” she said. “I knew that I was not able to leave my office because he was very strong.”
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But nobody answered her call for help.
Poirier alleges she was then struck on the temple, multiple times. She said she thought he was hitting her with his palm, “but later on, I found out that’s not what other people saw.”
Eventually, Teresa Thibeault, a licensed practical nurse, intervened.
Thibeault testified she was the first responder, and after telling Van Horlick to stop, he bent her arm causing injury.
Two others ended up intervening, the court was told, before Van Horlick was escorted away.
Poirier says she’s attended 272 appointments of different varieties in 10 months since the assault.
During cross-examination, Nathan Gorham, the lawyer representing Van Horlick, questioned the length of the attack and the injuries sustained by Poirier.
He said Poirier told media the attack lasted 14 minutes, but questioned that.
“All I know is that at 14:00, I saw him walking down the hall,” she said. Fourteen minutes later, Poirier saw him leaving, she said.
“I figure the assault was three to six minutes and then a few minutes to get him off of me and pinned on the wall,” Poirier testified.
When asked about the relevancy of his questions, Gorham told the judge “the allegations have changed over time.”
“There’s a financial motive to make allegations worse, essentially,” he said.
Before court proceedings, a rally was held outside by the New Brunswick Nurses Union (NBNU) demanding a stop to workplace violence.
“I am here today calling on (the) provincial government and employers to act now and take measures to eliminate violence against all healthcare workers,” said Paula Doucet, the NBNU president.
Testimony is scheduled to resume Feb. 27, when the Crown is expected to call Poirier’s family doctor to the witness stand.
The defence will also continue cross-examination of Poirier. The defence is expected to present its case at a later date.
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