A NURSE accused of raping a paralysed patient who gave birth to his baby may have abused the severely disabled woman countless times, cops have said.
Nathan Sutherland, 36, was charged with sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse after his DNA was a match with the newborn baby boy.
The patient, 29, who had been in the care of the Arizona clinic since she was a toddler, stunned staff when she gave birth on December 29 – as they did not realise she was pregnant.
Investigators found that Sutherland had treated the quadriplegic victim and spent a lot of time with her since he started work at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in 2012.
Sutherland, who was in a Christian rap duo with his sister, is accused of raping the Native American patient sometime between February and April.
‘HOW MANY TIMES DID ABUSE OCCUR?’
Cops are reportedly investigating whether recently divorced Sutherland assaulted any other patients or if anyone else was involved.
Phoenix police spokesman Sergeant Tommy Thompson added: “We have no indication that there were other people involved, but again, this is an ongoing investigation.
“We may not know how many times this occurred.
“We can’t always choose the way we come into this life, but this community can choose to love this baby. I’m told the baby is fine.”
The woman’s parents said their daughter is not comatose but rather intellectually disabled because of seizures in early childhood.
While she doesn’t speak, she has some mobility in her limbs, head and neck. She also responds to sound and can make facial gestures.
The family attorney said: “She has feelings, likes to be read to, enjoys soft music and is capable of responding to people she is familiar with, especially family.”
SURPRISE BIRTH
The surprise birth late last month prompted authorities to test the DNA of all the men who worked at the Hacienda HealthCare facility.
Care workers at the nursing home only realised the woman was pregnant when she began “moaning” and went into labour, according to reports.
Sutherland, 36, submitted his DNA sample under court order and the results came back a few hours later, showing he was a match to the baby.
Sutherland appeared in court on Wednesday, but did not enter a plea.
A Maricopa County Superior Court commissioner set a $500,000 (£382,000) cash-only bond.
During the hearing, defense attorney David Gregan asked for a lower bond on the grounds that Sutherland didn’t have a criminal record.
DIVORCED WEEKS BEFORE BIRTH
He described his client as a family man with young children who has lived in Arizona since 1993.
Sutherland’s wife filed for divorce on 5 December 2018 – three weeks before the victim gave birth.
The couple married in 2012, shortly after Sutherland’s divorce from his first marriage was finalised, according to AZ Central.
They do not have any kids together, but Sutherland has two underage children from his first marriage.
The male nurse was born in Haiti. Both he and his sister were adopted and brought to the US in 1989.
PERFORMED IN CHRISTIAN RAP DUO
Together they performed in a Christian rap duo known as Sleeplesssouljaz.
In a biography for the group, they claim they were forbidden to listen to rap and used music as an escape.
They released their first album in 2009, which is still available on Amazon.
Sutherland became a naturalized citizen in 2011 and completed his nursing training in the same year before starting work at the Hacienda facility in 2012.
Fellow nurse Eleanor Riggers, who helped Sutherland care for the victim in the case, has said she is shaken because he appeared to be a fun man who was liked by almost everyone.
“I cried. I just cried and cried. I think he is a coward. I think he is the lowest scum imaginable because I considered him a friend,” Ms Riggers said.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER VICTIMS?
She also worried about the other patients in the same wing as the victim, whom Sutherland had to care for as well.
The nurse said there were many women who were about the same age as the victim in that wing, and just like the victim, some were not able to communicate verbally.
Hacienda HealthCare employees said they had no idea the woman was pregnant.
Court records say her last known physical examination was last April.
A baby boy born to the woman will be cared for by the mother’s “loving family” after they revealed their “outrage” at the hospital rape.
Family Attorney John Michaels confirmed the child had been retained by the woman’s family, and said the infant boy would be “well cared for”.
ALMOST DIED IN LABOUR
Meanwhile Phoenix police said during a press conference earlier this month that the Native American woman nearly died during birth when she went into labour.
Sgt Thompson said staff members of the facility were present at the baby’s birth, and it was a natural delivery.
When asked if employees knew about the pregnancy and failed to report, Sgt Thompson said: “I’m led to believe that this [pregnancy] came to light when the baby was born.”
Police in Phoenix, Arizona, opened a criminal inquiry after it emerged the patient, who could not have consented to sex, had gone into labour at her private care home.
Soon after the news broke company boss Bill Timmons quit over the scandal as patients’ family members questioned safety at the Hacienda chain of homes.
Terry Rambler, chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe based on a reservation east of Phoenix, said he was “deeply shocked and horrified at the treatment of one of our members”.
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News Photo Nurse ‘who got paralysed patient pregnant may have raped quadriplegic countless times’, cops say
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