A former male nurse at the Alberta Children's Hospital is on trial charged in connection to the sexual assault of a patient who was allegedly under his care at the time of the offence.

Police were called to the hospital on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 for a complaint of a sexual assault on a 13-year-old boy. 

The boy was at the hospital for treatment of an abscess in his throat and told his father that the nurse inappropriately touched his genitals during a physical examination. He says the nurse also spoke to him about masturbation.

Drew Robert Lagary was charged with sexual assault in January of 2012.

His trial started on Monday and the now 16-year-old victim in the case testified from a remote courtroom via CCTV.

The teen’s father was also in court for the first day of the proceedings.

“I’d like to put it behind me and I hope that whether he’s convicted or not he can get some help. In terms of the nurse, himself, I don’t wish malice or any bad things of him because it’s not me to judge however I do wish that he gets some help and not do this again,” said the teen’s father, who can’t be identified to protect his son’s identity.

He says an incident like this is every parent’s nightmare.

“Infuriating times ten, most definitely. Being a single parent, that I raised both my children on my own and something like this would happen, this was a thought in my mind that I thought if this ever would happen, I wouldn’t know what to do and actually it did so it’s a feeling that I would never wish to anybody or any parent or any child,” said the teen’s father,

He says his son is holding up well even though it is an emotional experience and he doesn’t like to talk about it.

“He’s doing good. He doesn’t like to discuss about it and he wants to move on in life. It happened, it happened, that’s his take on it,” said the teen’s father. “He didn’t say much to me but I know my son very well and it’s something that he just wants to leave behind him and move forward. I know that as a young child to have that happen to him when he was 13, he’s 16 today, so definitely there must be some quiet, conscience feelings that he has but he’s not showing me much but he definitely doesn’t like talking about it.”

The boy’s father says he is frustrated that the accused has not admitted to any wrong doing.

“Very frustrating because I know my son would never lie to me and I know that my son is a great kid and he told it to me right away and the fact that there was a case before this that this nurse had done something like this and I hold the hospital responsible and accountable. Somebody knew and it just reoccurred again so it’s not fair,” he said.

Defence attorney Balfour Der says he expects the evidence will show that his client was just doing his job.

“I expect that the testimony will come out that my client was doing a thorough examination of this young lad and if there was any touching of this boy’s private parts it was incidental, accidental to a regular medical checkup that my client was doing as a nurse should do at that point in time,” said Der.

Der says the trial is also stressful for his client.

“He’s been suspended from work. Suspended without pay since this happened in 2011 so that’s a long period of time but like anyone else, it’s a highly stressful situation and so it certainly wears on him as it does most people,” he said.

Der says his client has no prior criminal record and he is hopeful that he will be acquitted.

He says there has not been an internal hearing into the allegations because he believes AHS is waiting for the outcome of the criminal trial.

Legary was also charged with assaulting an 11-year-old patient under his care at the same hospital.

Those charges were stayed at a preliminary inquiry in 2013, which is the same as a withdrawal, except the Crown has the option of reopening the case for one year.

Legary is expected to testify in his own defence on Tuesday.

(With files from Lea Williams-Doherty)