The man accused of attacking a doctor in the psychiatric ward at the hospital in Penticton, B.C., will undergo a mental-health assessment to determine if he can be held criminally responsible for his alleged actions.
Thirty-year-old Gregory Nield appeared in Penticton provincial court Tuesday on charges of aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm in connection with last Friday’s attack.
Judge Gale Sinclair ordered the man to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment at the Forensic Psychiatric Institute in Port Coquitlam.
Sinclair said the review could determine whether Nield suffers from a mental disorder which would make him not criminally responsible for his actions. He is to be back in court via video on Jan. 7.
The bearded Nield made no comments during his brief court appearance.
The injured physician, whose name has not been released, was knocked unconscious by a patient at Penticton Regional Hospital and sustained a broken jaw and other facial injuries.
