The young man who pleaded guilty to a vicious attack on a B.C. nurse will not serve any jail time.
Ryan Stard, 25, pleaded guilty earlier this year to assault causing bodily harm for beating a nurse at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital in March 2015.
The then 39-year-old nurse, who can't be identified under a publication ban, was repeatedly punched in the face and required seven stitches around his eye.
The attack led to a torn retina and concussion, the court heard, and the victim now suffers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has never returned to work.
On Tuesday, a provincial court judge handed Stard a conditional discharge and three years' probation. The sentence means that he will not have a permanent criminal record if he completes the probation without any issues.
The B.C. Nurses' Union said it was "shocked" by the long-awaited judgment, calling it "disappointing."
President Gayle Duteil said the lenient sentence sends a message that it's okay to harm health care workers.
The judge said there were several mitigating factors that contributed to the assault, including mental health issues.
Stard had been smoking marijuana before going to the hospital and had not been sleeping well in the weeks leading up the attack because he learned his relationship was over.
He told the court he felt "really bad" about what he had done.
"If I could take it back I would," Stard said.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Michele Brunoro and The Canadian Press
