B.C. and Ontario ‘fake nurse’ Brigitte Cleroux sentenced in Ottawa to 7 years

The woman alleged to have posed as a fake nurse to treat patients in Ottawa and Vancouver was sentenced in Ottawa on Friday.

Brigitte Cleroux of Gatineau, Que., was given a seven-year sentence but with time served will spend five years and eight months behind bars.

The Ontario judge said Friday that impersonating a nurse strikes at the core of public trust in the health-care system.

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He said she could have found a legitimate occupation but instead chose a life as a criminal fraudster and has shown little remorse.

She was charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, obtaining by false pretense, uttering forged documents, and personation to gain advantage.

Cleroux faces charges related to impersonating a medical professional in Vancouver as well. It is not known when she will face charges in British Columbia.

Vancouver police say Cleroux worked at B.C. Women’s Hospital between June 2020 and June 2021 under fraudulent pretenses. In November, she was charged in B.C. with fraud over $5,000 and personation to gain advantage.

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It is still not clear how many patients Cleroux worked on in Vancouver, what duties or services she provided, or whether there were any adverse outcomes relating to her work.

Vancouver police, however, have launched new investigations in the case as several women have come forward to identify themselves as possible patients.

More to come.