Crown drops charges against man accused of beating Penticton psychiatrist

A Summerland man accused of a brutal assault on his Penticton-based psychiatrist will not undergo a second trial, Crown counsel has determined.

Gregory Nield was awarded a new trial in late January, 2019, after successfully appealing a previous decision.

He was originally found guilty of aggravated assault by a jury following a Dec. 5, 2014 incident in Penticton Regional Hospital in which Dr. Rajeev Sheoran was badly beaten while meeting with Nield.

It was determined the presiding judge in the trial erred in regards to evidence that could establish an automatism defence.

Sheoran suffered a fractured orbital bone, damaged optic nerve and right eyeball, and required constructive dentistry. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury in the attack.

Nield was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Feb. 24, but his hearing was cancelled after the charges against him were dropped.

Communications counsel for the B.C. Prosecution Service Dan McLaughlin said in an email sent today, Feb. 25, the charges against Nield were stayed on Feb. 20 after the prosecutor’s office received "further information” about the file.

“After considering this information and the rest of the file materials the prosecutor concluded the charge approval standard could no longer be met. In these circumstances, a stay of proceedings is the appropriate course of action,” McLaughlin stated in the email.

"Under charge assessment guidelines, charges will only be approved or continued where Crown counsel is satisfied that the evidence gathered by the investigative agency provides a substantial likelihood of conviction, and if so, that a prosecution is required in the public interest," he said.

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