Man who placed hoax call to care home found guilty of Richmond sex assault

A man who pleaded guilty to making a hoax call to the care home where Canada’s first COVID-19 death took place was convicted Friday of unlawfully confining and sexually assaulting a man several months later.

In December 2021, Taymour Aghtai entered the plea to making the March 6, 2020, call to the Lynn Valley Care Centre, the same day that an elderly man died of the coronavirus.

An administrator of the home said at the time that the caller pretended to be a health officer, exaggerated the number of people who had tested positive for COVID, and stated that because of that, they had to shut down the centre overnight. The caller said that residents and staff shouldn’t leave and the next shift shouldn’t come in.

The call caused fear and apprehension and many staff members called home to tell their families they shouldn’t expect them back, and staff members on the morning shift didn’t come in.

Aghtai is awaiting sentencing for the hoax call.