A White Rock man serving time after being convicted for selling marijuana while on duty as a Vancouver Police officer has been stabbed.
Peter Hodson was attacked at Pacific Institution around 7:50 p.m. Monday, his lawyer Vincent Michaels told CTV News Thursday.
"It was a very serious injury, but he's made a good recovery. It could have been fatal very easily with another millimetre closer to his carotid artery," Michaels said.
"It is my understanding that it is being investigated as an attempt murder."
Correctional Service Canada spokesperson Samantha Cater, citing the Privacy Act, would not confirm Hodson was the victim.
She told Peace Arch News that the targeted inmate was stabbed in the neck with a six-inch shard of glass from a microwave tray.
"The victim had a couple pieces of glass that broke off in his neck and had to be removed in surgery," Cater said. "He's stable and doing well.
"We're doing an investigation into it to determine what the factors were that led to it."
Abbotsford police are also investigating, Cater said.
In September, the 33-year-old White Rock Christian Academy alumnus was sentenced to three years in a federal institution, after pleading guilty a year ago to trafficking in marijuana and two counts of breach of trust.
He was arrested in April 2010 following a two-month investigation into allegations by a Downtown Eastside drug addict that a constable was selling street-level amounts of marijuana both on- and off-duty.
Outside court shortly after Hodson was sentenced, Michaels said a federal sentence would be "hard time" for his client, and that he would do "everything that I can" to ensure Hodson was safely housed.
Michaels told CTV Thursday that Hodson is now asking for extra protection, and a request will be made that Corrections "go overboard in ensuring his safety."
Monday's assault prompted a lockdown and search at the Abbotsford facility, Cater said. The unit "has returned to normal operations," and the victim is back at the institution.
Where he'll be housed going forward will depend on the outcome of the CSC investigation, she said.
- with files from CTV