Laura Erskine, the Brant County woman who worked as a nurse despite never registering as one, appeared in Brantford court Tuesday on fraud and forgery charges.

It was the first court appearance for the 28-year-old Erskine, who lost her job at Park Lane Terrace in Paris last November, and was charged last December.

Those consequences came after the discovery that Erskine had been working at the long-term care home for two years, despite never registering as a nurse with the College of Nurses of Ontario – which is a legal requirement for anyone working as a nurse in the province.

Erskine did graduate from Conestoga College’s nursing program in 2014, which is the same year she began working as a nurse in Paris.

Tuesday’s court appearance was brief, with little happening other than Erskine being told to return to the courthouse in February.

The case of Erskine has also been the subject of a number of non-criminal investigations.

An investigation by Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care resulted in Park Lane Terrace being ordered to prove that all of its nursing staff were registered by Jan. 1.

The home also did its own internal investigation. A representative of Park Lane Terrace says that investigation is complete, but details cannot be made public because the issue is a confidential human resources matter.

With reporting by Abigail Bimman