Police in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture, said Tuesday they have arrested a 31-year-old male patient on suspicion of attempting to kill a 38-year-old nurse at a hospital with a knife.
According to police, Yuji Haga is accused of stabbing the nurse multiple times in the stomach with a knife at around 9:30 a.m. on the grounds of the hospital, NHK reported. The nurse was taken to a hospital in Kurashiki City, and was in a serious but stable condition, police said.
The nurse had just finished work and was on her way home. Hospital staff who witnessed the incident detained Haga until police arrived.
The hospital specializes in psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine, and according to the hospital, Haga had been staying at a group home run by the hospital on the same premises and had been coming there regularly for medical treatment.
Police said Haga has admitted to stabbing the nurse and quoted him as saying, “I stabbed her because I just wanted to kill her.”
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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virusrex
How would that help preventing crimes like this? do you expect hospitals to hire people based on how difficult is for them to be stabbed?
GuruMick
Lets not paint "psych. patients " with a broad brush.
I believe stats show a person with a mental illness is less or no more likely to be violent .
Most "mental illnesses " treated by drugs and counselling.
And yeah, I did this job after leaving High School for around three years....I'm in a position to speak of this.
If you look at all the various manifestations of mental illness from good old depression through to hallucinations, persecution, paranoia etc, there's sadly a lot of "space" within the range of diagnosis.
And yes, those with schizophrenia and delusions of granduer were present in the permenant wards.
Lots of Jesus and Napoleons.
wallace
Ridiculous comment
GuruMick
While I'm reminiscing , this job was in the mid 70's , the pay was excellent with penalty rates {eg double hourly rate } for various shifts and weekends etc, the night shift was 80 hours in a week {sleeping not frowned on } with a week off in the next week.
Plus Aussie dollar was $1.35 to the US dollar.
And all the nurses smoked lots of Thai pot.
Fighto!
Must be an incredibly tough job for a female nurse to work in a psych ward - among violent psychopaths, the insane and madmen.
Stronger security needed to restrain these nutcases. And clearly they need to be kept away from any weapons.
I just hope the innocent nurse can make a full recovery.
WA4TKG
I would have refused to work there in the first place
GuruMick
Nurse stabbed by patient in Psych. hospital and it's nursing staff "who should be vetted "?
I'm with posters who think this idea is itself lunacy.
I used to work as a Psych. Nurse in an old time "lock up ward ", lots of the "criminally insane " present.
We counted how many knives and forks were returned after meals.
Once, a largish , young fellow, was watching TV and ashing his ciggie on the floor.
I said to this patient "Hey, dont do that What do you think those ashtrays {the standing type, made of metal } are for "?
His reply ?
"There're for wrapping around your @@@@ing head "
zibala
How terrible, and sad it gets some all stressed out and blood pressure rising.
Shadows of the Rising Sun
It's about time nurses and carers were more fully vetted before starting work.