Ontario Review Board
Re: Ntemo Ogeara
ORB File No: 8031
Hearing held on: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Place of Hearing: Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Ms. M. Labrosse
Members: Dr. W. Komer
Dr. R. Cormier
Mr. P. Hageraats
Mr. A. Bouvier
Accused: Ntema Ogeara
Counsel: Mr. P. Lewandowski
Person in charge of hospital: Representative: Dr. S. Gulati
Attorney-General of Ontario: Counsel: Mr. L. Welch and
Ms. M. Dufort
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated January 7, 2026)
Introduction
On March 7, 2022, the accused, Mr. Ntemo Ogeara, was found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder (“NCR”) on charges of assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, both contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
Mr. Ogeara is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board (“ORB”) dated November 6, 2024, which detains him at the Secure Forensic Unit of the hospital with privileges up to and including to live in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge.
On November 18, 2025, the ORB convened a hearing at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, hereinafter referred to as the hospital, to review Mr. Ogeara’s disposition pursuant to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code. Mr. Ogeara was present at the hearing and represented by counsel, Mr. Paul Lewandowski. Mr. Ogeara’s mother and Behavioural Therapist, Ms. Vanessa Setter, were also in attendance at the hearing. An updated hospital report dated October 29, 2025, was entered as Exhibit no. 1 for the hearing.
The issues for this hearing are whether Mr. Ogeara continues to pose a significant risk to the safety of the public and, if so, to determine the disposition that is necessary and appropriate in the circumstances.
At the outset of the hearing the parties were canvassed as to their preliminary positions for the hearing at which time the Board was presented with a joint submission of all parties that Mr. Ogeara continues to meet the threshold for significant threat to the safety of the public and the maintenance of a detention order, with the addition of permission to attend at a residential treatment program for 6 to 24 weeks would be the necessary and appropriate disposition for the coming year.
At the conclusion of the hearing the parties maintained their joint position and the changes to the disposition were clarified to be attending at a residential treatment program in Ontario for up to six months in addition to the change to paragraph 2(c) of the disposition, namely, to enter the communities of Ottawa and Cornwall indirectly supervised.
For the reasons set out below, the Board finds that Mr. Ogeara continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the maintenance of a detention order with the aforementioned changes, jointly submitted by the parties, is the necessary and appropriate and least onerous and least restrictive disposition.
Index Offences
- The details of the index offences are set out in the hospital report as follows:
“On Friday December 10th, 2021; the accused Ntemo OGEARA (99-12-04) got into a fight with his brother-in-law M.L, resulting in OGEARA stabbing him in the abdomen with a knife. M.