Ontario Review Board
Re: Mohammed Hazim
ORB File No: 8059
Hearing held on: Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Place of hearing: Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care 401 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas
Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Ms. S. Kert
Members: Dr. T. Verny Dr. J.C. Rose Ms. K. Tomaszewski Ms. C. Plyley
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Mohammed Hazim Counsel: Ms. N. Circelli
The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Ms. J. Zamprogna
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Mr. D. Rows
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated August 1, 2025)
Overview
On April 13, 2022, Mohammed Hazim was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCR) on charges of attempted murder and assault with a weapon. Mr. Hazim is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board detaining him at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care (Southwest Centre or the Hospital), and permitting him privileges extending to living in Southwestern Ontario.
On June 18, 2025, this panel of the Review Board convened in-person at the Southwest Centre to hold a hearing and review that disposition. Mr. Hazim was present and represented by his lawyer, Ms. N. Circelli. Mr. Hazim’s parents (the victims of the index offences) also attended the hearing to support their son.
The issues to be decided at this hearing are whether Mr. Hazim meets the test of posing a significant threat to the safety of the public and, if so, what is the necessary and appropriate disposition to manage that risk, considering the four factors in s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
At the conclusion of the hearing, we were presented with a joint position. None of the parties contested a finding of significant threat, and the parties submitted that Mr. Hazim should be discharged subject to conditions including (but not limited to): i) removal of the abstain clause but continuation of the condition requiring him to submit samples of his urine and/or breath to test for abstention and ii) a reduction in the reporting frequency to require that he report to the Person in Charge of the Southwest Centre or their designate not less than two times per month.
We agree with the joint position of the parties both on the issue of significant threat and disposition. These are our reasons.
Background and Index Offences
Mr. Hazim was 28 years old at the time of the hearing. He was born and raised in Iraq. He and his family spent three years in Syria before immigrating to Canada, when he was 12 years old. Mr. Hazim experienced significant trauma before coming to Canada.
Mr. Hazim graduated from high school and began university. He worked part-time jobs. He had two lengthy relationships. He had no criminal record prior to the index offences.
Toward the end of his first year of university, Mr. Hazim experienced anxiety and panic attacks, especially when studying for exams or tests and assignments. After a difficult break-up at the end of the year, his symptoms worsened. He began using cannabis and increased his use over time until he was regularly using three grams a day.
In 2019, early in his fourth year of university, Mr. Hazim sought out medication in response to what he believed were symptoms of ADHD. After a referral for diagnosis by a psychiatrist, he was prescribed and began taking Vyvanse, a stimulant medication used as a treatment for ADHD. His marks improved, but he also began to take more medication than prescribed.
In October 2020, Mr. Hazim was placed on a Form 1 and hospitalized in response to his family reporting “escalating aggression and bizarre behaviour at home.” His parents said that Mr. Hazim had attacked them and his younger brother. He was grandiose and sleeping poorly. He was also increasingly paranoid. His family was concerned that Mr. Hazim was using higher doses of Vyvanse than he had been prescribed.
In early November 2020, Mr. Hazim’s family doctor queried bipolar disorder and advised him to stop the Vyvanse and start Abilify, an antipsychotic medication. Initially Mr. Hazim declined to take the Abilify; however, his doctor told him that he would only continue prescribing Vyvanse if he took the Abilify. Through early 2021, Mr. Hazim wanted his doctor to increase his Vyvanse and reduce the antipsychotic medication. In September 2021, he stopped taking Abilify altogether.
In late 2021, Mr. Hazim reportedly overdosed on Vyvanse and ended up in the emergency room of a Toronto hospital. He stopped using Vyvanse but, soon after, found other means of self-medicating. In January 2022, he took testosterone injections and was using cannabis daily. He also ordered a "wakefulness/mental alertness" medication, Modafinil, online.
Leading up to the index offences, Mr. Hazim was sleeping poorly. He was preparing for an exam to become a personal trainer, but struggled to concentrate and settle. On the morning of February 2, 2022, he took two tablets of Modafinil and when that didn't work, took more, and then more again the following morning. He became increasingly paranoid over the course of the day and night. He believed his father had put a bomb in his car and was trying to kill him.
On February 3, 2022, Mr. Hazim was at home with his parents when he suddenly stabbed his father with a kitchen knife. When his father tried to get away, Mr. Hazim followed and continued to stab him in the chest, abdomen, arms, and legs. Mr. Hazim's mother intervened to protect her husband and was cut on her hands and fingers, but succeeded in pulling her son off her husband and pushing him out of the house. Mr. Hazim fled in his father’s car, was arrested shortly after by police and was charged with the index offences.
Mr. Hazim’s father required emergency surgery for his injuries and was in critical condition for a time. He has since recovered from his injuries.
Within two weeks of his arrest, Mr. Hazim was admitted to the Southwest Centre for an assessment by Dr. Ajay Prakash. On the basis of that assessment report, Mr. Hazim was found NCR two months later and was readmitted to the Southwest Centre.
Initially, Mr. Hazim was mistrustful of staff. He was started on Abilify and began to show signs of mental stability and recovery. By August 2022, he was granted indirectly supervised community passes and he was able to visit his family home every weekend. He used his passes appropriately and his urine samples were negative for substance use. He actively participated in psychoeducational groups, as well as therapeutic and recreational activities. Between October 4 and December 6, 2022, he successfully completed a 10-week relapse prevention program through the CMHA Addictions Service of Thames Valley.
Beginning in May 2023, Mr. Hazim lived for 10 weeks in an inpatient apartment at the Southwest Centre. This allowed staff to evaluate his independent living skills. He did well, and was transitioned to live in a basement apartment in a rental property in London owned by his parents (not the familial home). He was discharged to the forensic outreach team in mid-September 2023, under the psychiatric care of Dr. Ajay Prakash. He began working part-time and gradually increased to full-time hours at his parents’ restaurant.
At Mr. Hazim’s last Review Board hearing in June 2024, the Hospital and the Crown submitted that the necessary and appropriate disposition was a conditional discharge, including removal of the abstain clause. Mr. Hazim sought an absolute discharge.
Last year’s Board panel rejected the parties’ submissions and continued the detention disposition. While recognizing that Mr. Hazim had done well in managing the transition from the Hospital to community living, the panel noted that: i) Mr. Hazim was expected to move to Kitchener for his studies, and he had never been to the city and had no professional supports there; ii) once Mr. Hazim moved to Kitchener his family, who had been crucial supports in his progress, would no longer be close by; iii) Mr. Hazim was about to enter an environment where he would be exposed to the same types of stressors (full-time education and possibly a part time job) that he was experiencing around the time of the index offences; and iv) there was a realistic risk that Mr. Hazim would return to cannabis use once he returned to school and was facing stressors.
Course Since the Last Hearing
At the current hearing, we received evidence in the form of an updated hospital report and the oral testimony of Dr. Prakash, who was a signatory to the hospital report. Mr. Hazim’s parents also provided a victim impact statement, in which they reiterated their support for their son, his progress and his goals, including moving on from the forensic system.
The hospital report outlines Mr. Hazim’s diagnoses, his clinical course over the year and the treatment team’s recommendations for the upcoming year. Mr. Hazim’s current diagnoses are bipolar 1 disorder with psychotic features, in full remission; and both cannabis and stimulant use disorder (severe), in full remission. He has not demonstrated any positive symptoms of his bipolar illness since June 2022, and has not required readmission to hospital since his discharge in July 2023.
Over the past year, Mr. Hazim received his Abilify injection from his family doctor (Dr. Mohar) on a monthly basis. His mood has been stable and he has good sleep hygiene. He continued to be an active participant in his rehabilitation and was open and honest with his treatment team, who were in contact with him four times per month in accordance with his disposition. After the last hearing, he continued to work full-time at his parents’ restaurant, and he enrolled in a Security Protection and Investigations program at a college in Kitchener, which started in September 2024.
In an attempt to prepare himself to re-enter full-time education, in July 2024, Mr. Hazim began re-reading some of his university textbooks He experienced some anxiety around this and used coping strategies such as movement breaks and white noise. He also spoke to Dr. Prakash about exploring the use of non-stimulant medication to support his studying, and was directed to his family doctor, who prescribed atomoxetine (a non-stimulant medication for ADHD). He experienced no side effects and found the medication helpful with focus and organization, which made him less anxious about returning to school.
In mid-August 2024, Mr. Hazim moved to Kitchener. In early September, he began attending in-person and online college courses. He enjoyed the coursework but withdrew in mid-October, after learning that a mandatory placement the following semester would require a vulnerable sector check, which he would not pass. According to the hospital report, while Mr. Hazim found the news stressful in the moment, he “found comfort with the outcome [a withdrawal that would not negatively impact his overall academic record] as it would not detract from his final goal of becoming a police officer.”
By the end of October 2024, Mr. Hazim had signed up for an online course required to get his security guard license. He spent several hours a day completing the coursework and various requirements, and obtained his license in February 2025. In December 2024, the non-stimulant medication was discontinued, apparently after he wrote the requisite exam. He worked for a time as an Uber driver and at his parents’ restaurant, and in March 2025, he was hired to work as a security guard in Kitchener, where he is still employed. As set out in the hospital report, while he continues to enjoy his new job, Mr. Hazim “looks forward to his discharge from the forensic system when he can begin applying for jobs as a special constable on a police force, and then as a police officer, ultimately.”
The hospital report outlines that the opinion of the treatment team is that currently Mr. Hazim continues to pose a risk of serious physical or psychological harm to members of the public. However, Dr. Prakash’s oral evidence was more nuanced. When asked at the outset whether he adopted the contents of the hospital report, Dr. Prakash responded, “Yes and no.” He explained that he agreed with the hospital report, but that as a clinician and expert in violence risk assessment, and as Mr. Hazim’s attending psychiatrist, he questioned whether the significant threat test is met.
The issue for Dr. Prakash and other members of the treatment team is very specific – whether, given Mr. Hazim’s stability and level of wellness, he needs a community psychiatrist going forward, or whether his ongoing management and treatment can continue to be provided by his family doctor, who Mr. Hazim sees monthly for his only mental health medication and with whom he has a good relationship. Dr. Prakash noted that Dr. Mohar has a number of mental health patients who are also on injectable medications, and she has access to the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) Urgent Psychiatry Clinic where Mr. Hazim could be seen for short-term follow up, if necessary. As well, Dr. Mohar has made a referral to the LHSC outpatient psychiatry program, but the wait time for acceptance is unknown.
While the treatment team was of the opinion that Dr. Mohar could manage Mr. Hazim in the community absent a Review Board disposition, as outlined in the “Impressions and Recommendations” section of the hospital report, the Hospital Administration is “of the opinion, given the reasons from last year’s ORB hearing, that a community mental health team is required prior to an absolute discharge.” Dr. Prakash said that he had read the reasons from the panel last year, and understood that the Board had concerns, and it was for this reason that in March 2025, Mr. Hazim was referred to the Waterloo-Wellington Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Team. As the Kitchener region does not have an ambulatory care team, this was viewed as the only appropriate referral at the time. With assistance and advocacy from the treatment team, FACT has accepted Mr. Hazim and he is now on their waitlist for care. As of mid-April (the date of the hospital report), the wait was reportedly 9-12 months.
Submissions, Analysis and Conclusion
At the conclusion of the hearing, the Hospital maintained its position that the test for significant threat is met, and that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a conditional discharge. The other parties agreed, as do we.
It goes without saying the that the index offences were extremely serious and, for Mr. Hazim’s father at least, potentially fatal. The offences occurred at a time when Mr. Hazim was experiencing his first (albeit prolonged) psychotic episode, likely exacerbated by the stress of his studies, over/misuse of stimulant medication and cannabis use. Notably, while Mr. Hazim had no criminal record, the index offences were not the first time that he had attacked his family members following the onset of his bipolar illness sometime in 2019.
Since the index offences and the finding of NCR shortly thereafter, Mr. Hazim has made considerable progress. Within months after the finding of NCR, he was using indirectly supervised community passes, including to visit with his parents. He has been living on his own in the community without incident since July 2023, and is currently employed on a full-time basis. He is accepting of the prescribed antipsychotic medication, his symptoms have abated, he has engaged in substance use treatment and there is evidence that he has remained abstinent from substances of abuse. He enjoys good support from his parents and has a positive relationship with Dr. Mohar, who provides his medication.
The challenge at present is that we have no real understanding as to how Mr. Hazim would experience a decompensation in his illness, were that to occur. We do know that as set out in last year’s reoffence scenario, the rate of relapse of his mental illness is relatively high, and that historically Mr. Hazim’s level of insight decreases when he is decompensating. Though both his parents and his then family doctor tried to assist him to manage his symptoms before and around the time of the index offences, Mr. Hazim was non-compliant with prescribed antipsychotic medication and dismissed efforts to connect him with mental health services. He said that he did not take the prescribed Abilify because he “did not think he [was] crazy and felt disrespected by his family doctor for believing that.” As he became progressively more unwell, and as his stress mounted, Mr. Hazim’s response was to self-medicate with testosterone injections, cannabis, and stimulant medication rather than follow his family doctor’s advice.
As outlined in last year’s reasons, in the case of Mr. Hazim, a relapse is likely to be triggered by the experience of stressful situations, with or without the use of substances. We recognize that since the finding of NCR, Mr. Hazim has faced stressors. He has been tested in various stressful scenarios (moving to a new city; returning to full-time classes; driving for Uber), and none of these situations triggered a relapse. However, we disagree that over the last year Mr. Hazim had a “real world” test that was similar to the situation he faced around the time of the index offences. While Mr. Hazim did return to college this past fall, he was a full-time student for no more than six weeks. During that time he managed his stress and anxiety (including around focus and attention) using non-stimulant ADHD medication, which was discontinued once he was no longer in school. There is no indication that he wrote any exams or completed any major assignments during the brief period he attended the college program in September/October 2024.
In our view, the “test” referred to by Dr. Prakash remains in the offing. Mr. Hazim is very happy with his current employment and is hoping to be promoted in the near future. His ultimate goal, however, is to attend police college and become a police officer. Inevitably, the process of pursuing that goal will be stressful – in addition to the physical and educational requirements, there are likely to be background checks, written exams and a psychological assessment. If, as anticipated, this is to occur once Mr. Hazim is no longer subject to a Review Board disposition, we agree that, particularly given his history and the nature of his illness, a mental health team (including a psychiatrist) should be in place to monitor and support Mr. Hazim once he is no longer receiving forensic care and oversight. This will ensure that Mr. Hazim has eyes on him regularly within his own community, and a team available that can provide a higher level of support than a family doctor, should that be necessary.
Mr. Hazim has now been accepted by the FACT team, and it is simply a matter of time before he will come under their care. Once the current treatment team is satisfied that Mr. Hazim has made a successful transition to the FACT team, if the Hospital is of the view that an early hearing should be held to make a new recommendation, they need only make the request and the Review Board will schedule a hearing. In the meantime, we agree that a conditional discharge, with conditions as recommended by the Hospital and all parties (including the removal of the abstention condition and a reduction in the frequency of reporting) is appropriate to the mange the threat posed by Mr. Hazim. We have also tweaked the “no weapons” condition to account for the possibility of Mr. Hazim having to carry a baton and/or pepper spray while at his employment (only).
Accordingly, considering public safety, which is paramount, as well as Mr. Hazim’s mental condition, his reintegration into society and his other needs, we find that the necessary and appropriate disposition to manage his risk is a conditional discharge with the conditions recommended by the parties and as outlined above.
DATED this 1^st^ day of August 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Region of Toronto.
Ms. S. Kert Alternate Chairperson
____________________________
Office of the Registrar Ontario Review Board