Craig Loman Coughlan

The Ontario Review Board held a hearing to review the disposition of an accused found not criminally responsible for second-degree murder and attempted murder due to a cannabis-induced psychotic disorder.

The hospital and the Attorney General argued that the accused remained a significant threat and sought a conditional discharge, citing concerns about potential relapse under stress.

The Board found that the accused had been free of psychosis and abstinent from cannabis for several years, maintained stable housing and employment, and pursued education.

Concluding that the risk of reoffending was speculative and unsupported by evidence, the Board found the accused no longer posed a significant threat to public safety and ordered an absolute discharge.

The Ontario Review Board conducted a mandatory annual review for the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for second-degree murder and assault causing bodily harm.

The Board considered whether the accused continued to pose a significant threat to public safety.

Despite some progress, the accused had recent unauthorized leaves of absence and positive drug screens for cocaine.

The Board found he remained a significant threat due to his psychotic illness, substance use, and lack of insight.

The Board ordered his continued detention at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, maintaining his privilege to live in the community in approved accommodation.

The accused was previously found unfit to stand trial on various firearms and assault charges and was detained at CAMH.

At his annual review hearing, the Ontario Review Board considered updated psychiatric evidence indicating that his psychotic symptoms had resolved and that his fluctuating engagement was due to willingness rather than inability.

Applying the Taylor test as clarified in Bharwani, the Board accepted the joint submission of the parties and found the accused fit to stand trial.

The Board ordered that he be returned to court.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual review hearing for the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for manslaughter and mischief.

The accused suffers from schizophrenia and continues to experience fixed grandiose delusions and a lack of insight into his illness.

The treatment team recommended a Detention Order with community living privileges, noting the accused's reluctance to use passes or engage in programming.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public and ordered a Detention Order with the conditions proposed by the hospital, concluding it was the least onerous and least restrictive disposition.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review for an accused previously found unfit to stand trial on charges of conveying false information with intent to alarm.

The accused, who has autism spectrum disorder and an intellectual disability, resides in high-support community housing under a detention order.

The Board accepted the uncontradicted psychiatric evidence that the accused remains unfit to stand trial and continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to poor frustration tolerance, impulsivity, and vulnerability to negative influences.

The Board ordered the continuation of the detention order with an amendment to permit international travel if accompanied by approved staff.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual review hearing for an accused previously found not criminally responsible for attempted murder due to schizophrenia.

The hospital, Crown, and defence jointly submitted that the accused no longer posed a significant threat to public safety.

The Board accepted the uncontested evidence of the treating psychiatrist that the accused had been stable, compliant with medication, abstinent from substances, and successfully integrated into the community with employment and housing.

Finding that the accused no longer posed a significant threat to the safety of the public, the Board ordered an absolute discharge.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for assault and assault causing bodily harm.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia, continued to experience residual psychosis despite medication adherence.

The Board accepted the joint submission of the parties, finding that the accused continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.

A detention order at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health was ordered, with privileges up to and including community living, as the least onerous and least restrictive disposition.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for multiple sexual assaults.

The accused, who has schizophrenia and an intellectual disability, has been residing in the community under a conditional discharge.

The Board found that the accused continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public due to his mental illness, intellectual deficits, and need for high-support supervision.

The Board ordered that the conditional discharge be continued as the necessary, appropriate, and least onerous disposition.

The accused, previously found not criminally responsible for assault police, appeared before the Ontario Review Board for an annual review of his conditional discharge.

The hospital and the Attorney General recommended maintaining the conditional discharge with a new travel condition, while the accused sought an absolute discharge.

The Board found that the accused continues to represent a significant threat to public safety due to his limited insight into his schizophrenia and the critical need for supervised clozapine administration to prevent psychotic relapse and violence.

The Board ordered the continuation of the conditional discharge with the hospital's recommended conditions.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual hearing for the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for various offences including sexual assault and theft.

The hospital and Crown sought to maintain the Detention Order, citing ongoing substance use, absconding, and poor insight into his mental health condition.

The accused sought an absolute discharge.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant risk to public safety and requires significant supervision in a highly supportive environment.

The Detention Order was maintained as the least onerous and least restrictive disposition.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual hearing for the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for murder.

The accused's diagnoses include unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and psychotic disorder, and substance use disorder in remission.

The hospital and Crown recommended a continuation of the Detention Order with the addition of community living in approved accommodation, which the accused supported.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant risk to the safety of the public but endorsed the joint submission as the least onerous and least restrictive disposition.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual hearing for the accused, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity for murder in 1990 and has treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

The parties presented a joint submission conceding that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety.

The Board ordered the continuation of the current disposition, noting the accused's successful transition to a group home, but reduced his reporting requirements from weekly to monthly.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for the accused, who was found not criminally responsible for weapons offences in 2008 due to schizophrenia.

The accused had recently been transferred to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health after a two-year wait.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety, which was uncontested.

The Board ordered continued detention in the Secure Forensic Unit with escorted privileges, noting the accused's smooth transition and positive engagement with staff and family.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for the accused, who was found not criminally responsible for assault and weapons offences in 2019.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia and a substance use disorder, had recently been transferred to a new hospital and demonstrated significant progress, including medication adherence and abstinence from substances.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety but accepted a joint submission to expand his privileges, maintaining a Detention Order with increased access to the community.

The accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for aggravated assault and assaulting a peace officer, appeared before the Ontario Review Board for an annual hearing.

The accused has been living in the community on a conditional discharge, maintaining abstinence from cannabis, and complying with his treatment regimen for schizophrenia.

All parties agreed that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety but recommended removing the abstinence and consent to treatment clauses from his disposition to test his independence.

The Board accepted the joint submission, maintaining the conditional discharge while removing the specified clauses to support the accused's pathway toward an absolute discharge.

The accused, previously found not criminally responsible for pushing a victim onto subway tracks, appeared before the Ontario Review Board for her annual hearing.

The hospital and the accused sought to remove a restriction preventing her from accessing subway platforms unaccompanied, which the Crown opposed.

The Board found that while she remains a significant threat to public safety, her condition has stabilized with medication and abstinence from substances.

The Board accepted the hospital's cautious, iterative approach to reintegration and removed the subway restriction, finding it to be the least onerous and least restrictive disposition.

The accused, who was found not criminally responsible for first-degree murder and assault causing bodily harm, had his annual hearing before the Ontario Review Board.

The hospital and the accused sought a Conditional Discharge, which the Crown ultimately supported.

The Board found that while the accused remains a significant threat to public safety, his stability, lack of psychosis, and successful reintegration into the community warranted a Conditional Discharge.

The Board imposed conditions, including a requirement to report at least twice a month.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for the accused, who was found not criminally responsible for aggravated assault.

The accused has a history of substance-induced psychosis and polysubstance dependence.

During the review period, the accused absconded and relapsed into substance use, demonstrating a continued significant risk to public safety.

The Board maintained the detention order, expanded the approved accommodation catchment area to include the Greater Toronto Area, and denied the accused's request to permit weekend cannabis consumption.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for sexual assault and other offences.

The accused had been living in the community on a conditional discharge and demonstrated improved clinical stability, though the treatment team raised concerns about his potential return to substance use, which historically triggered his psychosis.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to the risks associated with his substance use and maladaptive coping strategies.

The Board ordered that the conditional discharge be maintained, but removed the consent to treatment condition as it was no longer necessary given the accused's history of compliance.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for assault and choking offences.

The hospital, Crown, and defence jointly recommended a conditional discharge, agreeing that while the accused remains a significant threat to public safety, a detention order is no longer necessary.

The Board accepted the joint recommendation and the evidence of the treating psychiatrist, ordering a conditional discharge with specific conditions, including notice requirements in lieu of a strict residence clause.