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Investigation into assault

The incident took place on October 10 around 2:30 p.m. when Douglas Andrew Tilley approached the victim outside the provincial building.

An assault on one of their mental health workers in Nelson earlier this month has Interior Health investigating the incident.

“Interior Health is taking this very seriously and will be working closely with WorkSafe BC on investigating what took place,” said IH communications officer Karl Hardt.

The incident took place on October 10 around 2:30 p.m. when 33-year-old Douglas Andrew Tilley approached the victim outside the provincial building in Nelson’s downtown. He began yelling and ranting at the victim. Before he had a chance to respond, Tilley punched and kicked him repeatedly.

A witness stopped the assault and the man, known to police, fled. Police found Tilley soon afterwards and he was jailed pending a court appearance last week. Tilley pleaded guilty and was given a six-month sentence and two years’ probation.

Mental health staff says they were previously threatened and had concerns for their safety that they feel went unaddressed. Hardt says IH was working on the situation.

“When we were made aware of the initial threats to our staff, we informed staff and contacted police immediately,” he said. “We do have a policy in place regarding violence prevention — it is posted on our public site under workplace health and safety policies.”