A Vancouver man who pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) nurse with a Molotov cocktail in addition to other crimes was sentenced to time served by a Vancouver provincial court judge Oct. 6.
Anthony Jason Phillips, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft under $5,000, two counts of uttering threats and one count of possession of a weapon, defence lawyer Douglas Soga told Judge John Milne.
The threat against the nurse came when Phillips was at VGH on May 14.
He had been told he would be discharged and became upset with the nurse.
“He told her he would find her after work and throw a Molotov cocktail at her and kill her,” Crown prosecutor Jeffrey LaPorte said.
Phillips then threw a glass at a plate glass window, shattering it and injuring the nurse on the other side. He was captured by police officers who were nearby.
“He was feeling distressed because he was told he had to leave,” the court heard.
The other threat came when Phillips was caught stealing meat from a No Frills supermarket on Vancouver’s East Hastings Street.
When a security officer attempted to stop him from leaving the store, Phillips said, “Don’t stop me or I will stab you with a knife.”
Phillips was caught in that case because he jumped in a marked cab which was tracked using GPS.
On Sept. 17, police observed Phillips approaching another man, with a knife. LaPorte said the officers intervened and Phillips attempted to hide the knife. That was an alleged breach of a weapons prohibition and he pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Milne heard Phillips has 25 previous similar convictions but noted gaps between offence dates.
Phillips has been in jail for 16 days for which he received 24 days credit. He was released with time served under a joint submission by Crown and defence.
He cannot contact those he threatened and cannot go to VGH unless in an emergency or under a doctor’s direction.
Several other charges were stayed.
