Attack of the Naked Social Worker

October 5, 2010 permalink

Hamilton Ontario social worker Karyn deJong stripped naked and attacked a terminally-ill woman, removing her clothes as well.

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Social worker charged in bizarre assault

A justice of the peace heard a bizarre tale at the bail hearing of a young social worker who appears to have suffered a complete psychotic break after smoking a little marijuana with a friend.

A distraught Karyn deJong, 29, covered her face with her hands and wept in the prisoner’s box yesterday as Crown counsel Kim Rogers recounted the events of Sept. 13, and how she came to be charged with forcible entry, sexual assault and attempted murder.

Justice of the peace Wendy Casey heard the accused woman stripped off her clothes and walked uninvited into the residence of a 60-year-old, terminally ill cancer patient who lived in her central Hamilton apartment building.

“I’m such a lesbian. I love you. C’mon baby,” the completely naked woman told her shocked neighbour.

Rogers said the victim was pushed onto her bed, had her pants pulled off and the oxygen tubes ripped from her nostrils. The older woman was then sexually assaulted.

Gasping for air, the victim managed several times to replace her oxygen, only to have the tube yanked out again. Rogers said the assailant pulled off the older woman’s night gown as they continued to struggle on the bed.

In her weakened state, the older woman, now also naked, managed to escape to her balcony and sit in chair for a moment to catch her breath. The younger naked woman followed her and leaned toward the sick woman, saying: “You’re going to die. You’re going to die. You’re going to die.”

Rogers said the frail cancer patient was grabbed by her hair and dragged to the railing of her balcony. The victim struggled as her assailant lifted her into the air and attempted to toss her over the railing.

A ban on publication of any evidence that would identify the victim was imposed at an earlier court date, but there was no ban issued on publication of the evidence and submissions heard at the bail hearing.

Rogers said a male friend of the accused, who heard the commotion, walked into the older woman’s apartment and called her by name. “Ms deJong’s demeanour changed dramatically. He then took Ms deJong by the hand and walked away with her.”

The terrible events began earlier that evening when deJong shared a joint of marijuana with the man and began to act very strange. Hamilton police heard deJong became sexually aggressive with her friend and when her advances were spurned, took off her clothes and ran naked to her neighbour’s apartment.

The court heard deJong, who has no prior criminal record or history of mental illness, suffered a closed head injury earlier this year. She was found fit to stand trial by a forensic psychiatrist at St. Joseph’s hospital.

Defence lawyer Kim Edward offered three sureties to secure deJong’s release on $25,000 bail. The accused woman was ordered to reside with her father, to attend St. Joseph’s hospital to have her medications renewed and to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible.

bbrown@thespec.com

Source: Hamilton Spectator