Woman who posed as nurse in Ottawa sentenced to seven years

The Gatineau, Que. woman who posed as a nurse to treat patients at a dental clinic and a medical clinic in Ottawa has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Brigitte Cleroux was sentenced at the Ottawa courthouse on Friday after pleading guilty to seven charges earlier this year, including assault, assault with a weapon, fraud and impersonation.

With credit for time spend in custody, Cleroux will still be required to spend five years and eight months behind bars.

According to the agreed statement of facts, Cleroux used the name of a real nurse employed in Vancouver to seek employment in Ottawa.

Cleroux worked at an Ottawa fertility clinic from July 26 to Aug. 11, 2021, where the court heard her duties included injecting patients and administering drugs.

The court heard Cleroux's employment at the fertility clinic ended after a confrontation with a nurse who was concerned about the way she was administering care to a patient. The nurse that confronted her filed a complaint with the College of Nurses of Ontario, discovering that the forged name was not a registered nurse in Ontario. That's when police were called in.

Meanwhile, Cleroux got a new job as a nurse at a dental clinic, where she dealt with at least 12 patients including a child.

Cleroux was arrested on Aug. 23, 2021, when she returned to the original clinic to pick-up her last paycheque.

Last September, Ottawa police said Cleroux was facing charges for allegedly working as a nurse under false pretenses at an Ottawa medical clinic and a dental clinic. Police said some of the woman's duties included administrating medication and injections to patients.

At the time of her arrest, police said the accused, "used aliases and assumed the identities of registered nurses that she fraudulently obtained."

Cleroux is also facing charges in B.C. for allegedly posing as a nurse at a hospital for a year.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond