This nurse has been jailed for 10 years and will be registered as a sex offender. (Represent)
Los Angeles:
Local media reported on Friday that a nurse who raped and impregnated a severely disabled woman in his care has been jailed for 10 years.
Nathan Sutherland admitted to sexually abusing his 29-year-old patient at the Phoenix facility, where she had been cared for since the age of three.
The victim, who has not been named, suffered from significant mental disability due to childhood epilepsy, her family said.
“She is speechless but has some ability to move her limbs, head and neck,” a statement released through their attorney said.
“Their daughter responds to sounds and can make facial gestures. It is important that she is a beloved daughter, despite her significant intellectual disability.”
A healthy baby was born following the assault in December 2019.
Staff at the wellness center said they were unaware that the young woman was pregnant until the time of delivery.
A DNA sample from a male employee at the care facility revealed that Sutherland was the child’s father.
He initially denied responsibility, but later confessed.
Sutherland, who has worked at the institute since 2012, was jailed for 10 years by a Phoenix court on Thursday.
He will also be subject to lifelong supervision and will be registered as a sex offender.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
