Ontario Review Board
Re: Gurdev S. Multani
ORB File No: 3546
Hearing held on: Thursday, June 5, 2025
Place of hearing: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto
Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before: Alternate Chairperson: Mr. M.D. Segal Members: Dr. G.A. Chaimowitz Dr. H. Moulden Ms. C. Fromstein Mr. J. Cyr
Parties Appearing: Accused: Gurdev S. Multani Counsel: Mr. T. Whillier
The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Mr. J. MacIntyre
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Mr. M. Feindel
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated July 18, 2025)
Introduction
Gurdev S. Multani, age 64, was found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder on a charge of utter death threat, contrary to the Criminal Code, on April 10, 2002. Mr. Multani, who is on a Detention Order with community living, appeared before the Ontario Review Board (the “Board”) on June 5, 2025, for his annual hearing at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (the “hospital”).
Mr. Multani chose not to appear but had spoken with his counsel, Mr. T. Whillier, ahead of time. The Board granted an order permitting the hearing to proceed in his absence.
In preliminary positions, the hospital supported by Crown counsel, recommended no change to the current Disposition. Mr. Whillier took no position. Exhibit 1 was a Hospital Report dated May 22, 2025. Exhibit 2 was a Campbell letter and response.
Diagnoses
- Delusional Disorder Narcissistic Personality Traits
Index Offence
- The following description of the index offence is taken from last year’s Reasons, as follows:
"According to the police synopsis, “The accused in this matter, Gurdev Singh Multani, is a member of the Sikh Community. In the latter part of the year 2000, the accused took it upon himself to write a manifesto titled The Verdict. This manifesto defines the Sikhs as the Master Race/Elite class. Mr. Multani also stated that other members of the human race should be ground up and dumped into the Indian Ocean. He refers to black members of society as niggers, and members of the gay community as faggots. He goes on to make defamatory comments about everyone but Sikhs. Mr. Multani sent his manifesto to MacLean Publishing at 777 Bay Street in Toronto. His manifesto was rejected by the publishing firm and returned to him. Mr. Multani re-submitted the manifesto with a covering letter on which he had handwritten and signed a post-script. The post-script stated, ‘P.S. You better print this material, or I am going to blow your fucking head off, Mr. Editor.’ The editor/victim, Robert Marshall, received the manifesto on the 19th of February 2001, with the covering letter. He contacted police and an occurrence was taken. Investigators contacted Mr. Multani, and asked him to attend the station,52 Division. He attended the station, where he was arrested and investigated. He gave investigators a videotaped statement. In the video, he admitted to writing and sending the manifesto along with the covering letter. He also reiterated his genocidal beliefs."
Evidence at Hearing
In addition to the details of Mr. Multani’s background found in the Hospital Report, Dr. Jaiswal, the attending psychiatrist, testified.
Last year’s Reasons for disposition noted an intensification of Mr. Multani’s delusional thoughts, and threatening letters sent to several people and organizations, including a Board member in the fall of 2023, with racist and threatening content, necessitating readmission to hospital where he resided at the time of the hearing.
Dr. Jaiswal advised the Board that Mr. Multani has been accepted for 1:1 counselling. This will take the form of CBT to focus on how his conduct is not appropriate. The patient is currently on level 4 privileges. A Campbell letter dated May 28 was in evidence following a threat of death levelled against the president of a national pharmacy chain. That resulted in a curtailment of privileges. Mr. Multani had previously been at level 8 privileges.
Mr. Multani has supervised access to a computer. Before the May 8 threatening letter, access was not supervised. The hospital has no information on Mr. Multani’s use of the internet and who Mr. Multani may be corresponding with relative to his concerning delusional beliefs.
In Dr. Jaiswal’s opinion, significant threat remains present. There is a real risk of harm, including psychological harm as recently as the matter that resulted in the Campbell letter. Mr. Multani has residual delusions, grandiose thoughts that lead him to threatening others. Mr. Multani’s insight is limited across all domains. A review of the patient’s history reveals that medication has only been a minor impact on his condition. Absent board supervision, Dr. Jaiswal endorsed that Mr. Multani would stop taking his medication, withdraw from treatment, would become psychotically ill with a recurrence of threatening behaviour. Mr. Multani had previously been on a Conditional Discharge, but it had proven inadequate to protect the public.
There is no plan of release, at least for the early part of this year. The hospital’s focus will be on seeing if the patient can be moved up the privilege ladder in preparation for possible release back into the community.
The patient is working with a behavioural therapist who is permitted to look at Mr. Multani’s correspondence before they are sent to anyone.
Some of the patient’s ideas are unique and bizarre. He has retained those beliefs for several years.
There was an acknowledgement that the May 2025 threats were like the index offences.
Analysis
The matter is very concerning. The May threats do not only represent a breach of the Disposition, but they also constitute criminal behaviour. There is an unabated pattern that goes back to the index offence and continues to the present. Because of the diagnoses involving a delusional disorder, treatment is not available in its fullest sense. Medication only takes the edge off the intensity of beliefs and actions, and not always successfully. The potential for significant harm and significant psychological harm is stark.
The Board is aware that some hospitals spend resources to look at internet use, social profiles, and who a patient is corresponding with. This does not seem to have occurred in this matter. Such a course would appear prudent as it may assist with assessing the risk and, in any event curtail criminal offences.
Mr. Multani’s symptoms and behaviours are hardened. Because of the intensification of symptoms in the recent past and the marked nature of his threats, the path to return to the community should be approached with great caution. In reviewing the proposed conditions and in view of the professed concerns about the safety of the public, the Board finds that the condition to live in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge should be changed to supervised housing as approved by the person in charge. In the same vein, reporting should not be less than once a week. In all other respects, the proposed Disposition is agreed to.
DATED this 18^th^ day of July, 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Region of Toronto.
Mr. M.D. Segal Alternate Chairperson
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Office of the Registrar Ontario Review Board