Montreal man can't be held criminally responsible for alleged attack on 10-year-old, psychiatrists say

A Montreal man accused of viciously beating a 10-year-old girl who was walking home from school in mid-March should be found not criminally responsible for his actions due to a mental illness, according to a psychiatric report filed Wednesday.

The report says Tanvir Singh, 21, could not understand the consequences of his actions or tell right from wrong on March 15 when he assaulted the girl on du Tricentenaire Boulevard in the neighbourhood of Pointe-aux-Trembles.

Lawyers have asked the court to postpone the hearing to June 7 in order to study the psychiatric report in depth.

The Crown must notify the child's family of the content of the report and the conclusions of the psychiatric team.

Singh will remain detained at the Philippe-Pinel forensic psychiatric institute until further notice.

Singh was assessed by a psychiatrist and determined fit to stand trial soon after the incident, but the psychiatrist's fitness report recommended he be assessed for criminal responsibility.

In response, Quebec court Judge Pierre Labelle ordered a 30-day evaluation for Singh at a Montreal psychiatric hospital. A month later, the institute was granted a 30-day extension.

If the court rules Singh was not criminally responsible for his actions, he will likely remain in custody until the mental illness review board, Commission d'examen des troubles mentaux, determines he no longer poses a public security risk.

If he is not deemed fit to be released by the board, Singh would likely remain in a psychiatric hospital and his case will be reassessed every year.