Editor’s note: This story describes a ruthless assault.
The 21-year-old man accused of attacking a 10-year-old Montreal girl on her way home from school has been found “not criminally responsible,” according to the psychiatric hospital the accused is staying at.
Officials from the Philippe-Pinel psychiatric institute in Montreal told Daily Hive that Tanvir Singh would not be held responsible for his actions due to a mental illness.
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The prosecution and defence will return to court on June 7 to present their case to a provincial judge based on their recommendation.
On March 15, the 10-year-old Pointe-Aux-Trembles resident — whose name is protected by a publican ban — was allegedly grabbed and punched repeatedly by Singh while walking home from her school in the middle of the day.
Singh was arrested on sight and was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, and possession of a weapon.
Several bystanders stepped in to stop the attack before police intervened minutes later.
Doctors at Philippe-Pinel say Singh was initially deemed “fit to stand trial in court,” but a new assessment of the accuser says his mental state has determined he is not mentally stable enough to be held criminally responsible.
After sustaining what the young girl’s aunt called an attack “for no good reason,” a GoFundMe campaign was set up to raise $5,000 for the family. As of this writing, $45,525 has been raised, spread out across over 1,500 donations.
At the time, police say the young girl sustained “serious upper-body injuries,” and the aunt says the 10-year-old is “still traumatized.”
Singh is currently detained at the Philippe-Pinel institute and will stay there until “further notice.” Hearings have been postponed until June 7 so that lawyers can study the in-depth psychiatric report.