Jury picked for PRH assault

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

The trial for a man accused of attacking a doctor at the Penticton Regional Hospital is getting underway next week.

Following jury selection on Monday, the trial for Gregory Nield will start on March 28.

Nield is accused of attacking a doctor at PRH on Dec. 5, 2014, which reportedly left the doctor with facial injuries, including a broken jaw. He faces one count of aggravated assault.

Nield, dressed in a blue suit, sat with defence lawyer Stan Tessmer throughout the jury selection process, after a request by Tessmer to bring Nield out of the accused box was approved by the judge.

Potential jurors packed two Supreme Court chambers in the Penticton courthouse on Monday, where potential biases and conflicts were weeded out.

A total of 19 people were stood down from jury duty due to personal or professional acquaintances with the accused, the alleged victim and various witnesses, while four were stood down for hearing issues, six for personal financial issues and nine stood down for scheduling conflicts. 

A 12-member jury was eventually selected.

In January, Nield filed a lawsuit against the victim of the attack, alleging he was responsible for the confrontation. 

**a previous version of this story indicated that the trial would begin on March 21, instead of the correct date of March 28