The man accused of making a hoax phone call to a North Vancouver seniors home, just as the institution was grappling with its first cases of COVID-19, made his first court appearance on Wednesday.
Taymour Aghati, 26, appeared in a Richmond courtroom by video link, though details of the proceedings cannot be reported due to publication bans.
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Man charged in hoax call to B.C. care home facing deadly COVID-19 outbreak
Aghati is charged with conveying false information with intent to injure, in relation to the March 8 phone call he allegedly made to the Lynn Valley Care Centre.
The province’s first long-term care home outbreak had been announced at the facility the day prior.
The details of what Aghati allegedly said to staff at the facility have not been made public, but workers were reportedly severely distressed by the message they believed was coming from health officials.
Staff learned the next day that the call had been a hoax, but the care centre said that “a great deal of harm had already been done to our capacity to provide” care.
Police arrested Aghati in July, but released at the time pending further investigation.
While Aghati is facing a single charge in relation to the call, Global News has learned he’s also facing a string of other serious charges related to incidents over the last year in five different B.C. communities, from Port Alberni to Richmond.
Those charges include extortion, unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon, robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.
Aghati is due back in court on Oct. 20.