Nurse Aide Convicted of Molesting 3 Patients : Courts: The accused man acted as his own lawyer on charges involving women who were being treated at Simi Valley Hospital.

A nurse’s aide who acted as his own lawyer was convicted Wednesday of sexually molesting three female patients at Simi Valley Hospital on his first day at work.

Victor E. Sumner stood with his hands in his pockets and showed no emotion as he was found guilty of sexually battering two elderly patients and penetrating a mentally retarded woman with his finger.

Sumner must be sent to prison when he is sentenced Dec. 16, Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice D. Koenig said. The maximum possible sentence is 10 years, the minimum is three years.

Koenig said the trial was extremely difficult for the victims because they were cross-examined by the 47-year-old defendant, who exercised his legal right to represent himself.

One of the women, a 32-year-old with the mental capacity of an 8- to 10-year-old, had a stress-induced seizure the day after she testified but has since recovered, the prosecutor said.

“It was an extremely traumatic experience for them,” Koenig said. “Coming to court they were all basically terrified, but they all ended up doing very well.”

Because of the women’s frail health, the trial was moved to Simi Valley for two days while they testified. One of the victims had to be wheeled into court on a hospital bed.

All of the assaults occurred July 9, on Sumner’s first day as a temporary hospital employee. Koenig said Sumner was assigned to care for nine patients and molested two of them: a 72-year-old woman with a fractured hip and a 73- year-old woman who was seriously ill following heart bypass surgery months before.

Sumner was also found in the mentally disabled patient’s hospital room twice and was sent away because the woman’s family had specifically requested that she not be cared for by men, according to testimony.

At trial Sumner argued that the victims misinterpreted his actions as he attempted to care for their medical needs, and that the women were confused because they were on medication.

The jury deliberated a full day before returning with the verdicts.

Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell had jurors raise their hands in unison to show their agreement with the verdicts. But when the judge asked Sumner if he wanted jurors polled individually, the defendant replied, “Definitely not.”

Koenig, who had a private session with jurors after the verdict, said they were curious to know why Sumner acted as his own attorney.

“I told them only he knows why he did it,” the prosecutor said.