Re Kristopher Ginn, 2026 CanLII 15120

Ontario Review Board

Re: Kristopher Ginn

ORB File No: 5616

Hearing held on: Wednesday January 28, 2026

Place of Hearing: Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care

Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code

Before:

Alternate Chairperson: Mr. R. Bigelow

Members: Dr. J. Bradford Dr. L. Lightfoot Ms. K. Tomaszewski Ms. B. Little

Parties Appearing:

Accused: Kristopher Ginn Counsel: Mr. S. Gehl

The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Ms. J. Zamprogna

Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. K. Dalrymple

REASONS FOR DISPOSITION

(Dated February 26, 2026)

Introduction

1. On May 19, 2010 Christopher Ginn was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder on charges of assault and assault causing bodily harm contrary to the Criminal Code. He is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board (the Board) dated January 30, 2025 ordering that he be discharged subject to conditions including residence, reporting, submitting samples not having possession of any weapons, not to be alone or associate or communicate directly or indirectly with any person under the age of 16 and on his consent take treatment as recommended pursuant to section 672.55 of the Criminal Code.

2. On Wednesday, January 28 2026, the Board convened a hearing at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care (the Hospital or Southwest) to review Mr. Ginn’s disposition pursuant to section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code. The issues to be determined at the hearing were whether Mr. Ginn continued to constitute a significant threat to the safety of the public as defined in section 672.5401 of the Criminal Code and, if so, to determine what was the necessary and appropriate disposition that was also the least onerous and least restrictive taking into account the factors set out in 672.54 of the Criminal Code.

Initial Positions of the Parties

3. At the commencement of the hearing the parties were requested to provide their initial without prejudice positions with respect to the issues before the Board. Counsel for the Hospital advised that it was the Hospital position that Mr. Ginn continued to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition was a detention order on the terms as set of the Hospital Report at pages 247 and 248.

4. Counsel for the Attorney General supported the Hospital position.

5. Counsel for Mr. Ginn conceded significant threat to the safety of the public but submitted that the necessary and appropriate disposition was a continuation of the current conditional discharge with the removal of the term requiring that he reside at 1 Winchester St. and replacing that with a requirement that he advise the Hospital and the Board of his place of residence.

Evidence at the hearing

6. The evidence at the hearing consisted of the Hospital Report dated December 15 2025 and the oral evidence of Dr. Quinn, Mr. Ginn’s most responsible physician.

Findings:

7. For the Reasons that follow, the Board finds that Mr. Ginn continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a detention order with the terms as recommended by the Hospital.

Index Offences:

8. The circumstances surrounding the index offences as summarized in last year’s reasons for disposition are as follows:

Assault Causing Bodily Harm

On March 31, 2009…the victim, Steven Stewart was outside of Victoria Hospital, 375 South Street, London. Stewart was seated on a park bench having a cigarette when he was approached by the accused, Kristopher Ginn who asked for a cigarette. Stewart handed over his package of cigarettes and a lighter to Ginn. A few moments later, Ginn jumped to his feet and yelled “I’m the devil, I am going to kill everyone.” Ginn then proceeded to punch Stewart with a closed right fist in the face. Stewart was knocked to the ground at which point Ginn proceeded to kick Stewart in the abdomen approximately 30 times. A citizen passing by stopped the attack and Ginn left the area.

Stewart was transported to Victoria Hospital where it was revealed he had suffered two broken ribs as a result of the assault by Ginn.

Assault

The accused, Kristopher Ginn, and the victim, Dennis Orval Ireland, are known to each other as both reside at the London Psychiatric Hospital located at 850 Highbury Ave. N.

On Saturday, November 07, 2009, both the accused and the victim were in their residence at 850 Highbury Ave N, London, Ontario. At approximately 6:00 pm the accused proceeded to walk past the victim and began calling him a “baby fucker” and “child molester.” The altercation escalated to the point where the victim advised the accused to “shut up.” This then prompted the accused Ginn to spit on the victim striking him with the spit in the chest area.

Background Information Regarding the Accused:

9. As of the date of the hearing, Mr. Ginn was 44 years of age, He was born in Newfoundland but has resided in Ontario for 25 years. He was diagnosed with familial hemophilia at birth. His parents separated when he was about four years old and divorced when he was six. He is currently estranged from his family members and has not had contact with them in a number of years.

10. Although Mr. Ginn indicates that he completed grade 12 and that his marks were above average it has been reported that he was in special education classes and had problems with his teachers resulting in being suspended from school on 10 occasions for fighting and using drugs.

Substance Use History

11. Mr. Ginn began drinking alcohol at the age of 14 and has experienced hallucinosis as a result of alcohol withdrawal. He also commenced using cannabis when he was 14 and subsequently has used numerous substances including cocaine, crack cocaine, magic mushrooms, heroin amphetamines and ecstasy. However, he has now been abstinent from the use of any of those substances for over 16 years.

Legal History:

12. In October 2002 Mr. Ginn was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and after 53 days of presentence custody was sentenced to 25 days secure custody and probation for three years. The sexual assaults involved a three-year-old male cousin and a five-year-old female friend of the family he was babysitting when he was a teenager. He turned himself into police in April 2002 because he felt guilty and wanted to confess.

Psychiatric History

13. Mr. Ginn’s first admission to hospital with respect to mental health related issues was when he was approximately 14 and was admitted to hospital for 10 days as a result of having suicidal ideation and depression after breaking up with a girlfriend.

14. His next involvement with the mental health system was in 2002 after he had confessed to sexually abusing two children and had taken an overdose of Anacin because he felt so guilty. He was involved with an outreach mental service for a short period of time and was diagnosed with an unspecified adjustment disorder, alcohol and poly drug abuse and possible antisocial personality traits. He was discharged from the program because he was deemed not to be suffering from any acute psychiatric illness requiring intervention from that program.

15. In 2003 Mr. Ginn was assessed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Sexual Behaviours Clinic and in 2004 he was diagnosed with pedophilia and recommended to not have unsupervised access to or care of children.

16. From June 2006 to January 2007Mr. Ginn was admitted to hospital after he was brought to hospital by his father due to increasingly bizarre behaviour. On admission he was noted to be quite psychotic and admitted to auditory and visual hallucinations. He was diagnosed with pedophilia, schizoaffective disorder, substance abuse, antisocial personality disorder and avoidant personality traits.

17. Over the next several years leading up to the time of the index offences, Mr. Ginn’s was admitted to hospital due to auditory and visual hallucinations as well as disorganization, delusions of grandeur and suicidal ideation on approximately 8 occasions.

Current Diagnosis

18. Mr. Ginn’s current diagnoses are:

• Schizophrenia,
• Substance Use Disorder, in sustained remission
• Pedophilia

Evidence of Dr. Quinn

19. Dr. Quinn indicated that:

• He was Mr. Ginn’s most responsible physician and adopted the contents of the Hospital Report. Mr. Ginn’s symptoms continue to be much the same as in the previous reporting year and were relatively well controlled. The symptoms include delusions of grandeur with respect to an invention he believes will earn him millions of dollars as well as auditory hallucinations. However, his thoughts continued to be organized. He has issues with hygiene and motivation but they are largely manageable with support.
• His sex drive has been well-managed by medication and he consciously avoids being around young people. However, he continues to exhibit inappropriate social behaviours such as lewd, racial and condescending remarks and the treatment team has learned that that behaviour is more frequent than they had been aware. In the spring of 2025, there was an incident at his residence of groping behaviour and the target of the groping reported that such behaviour had occurred on numerous occasions. As a result of this behaviour, the residence evicted Mr. Ginn and he has been banned from residences run by the same organization for five years.
• In his professional opinion, the groping incident is related not so much to sexual behaviour as to “adolescent bonding behaviour” and inappropriately seeking social approval but nevertheless has a potential for causing psychological harm and Mr. Ginn and has no insight into this potential effect.
• As a “voluntary patient” Mr. Ginn is able to come and go from Hospital largely as he wishes. The hospital has received complaints from a community centre about Mr. Ginn’s behaviour at the centre which included bullying, making lewd comments and offering or soliciting oral sex to others at the centre. Under the terms of the current disposition, the Hospital is unable to prevent access to that location.
• Mr. Ginn‘s insight into his illness is variable. He can identify auditory hallucinations but cannot appreciate the grandiose delusions. With respect to his insight as to the effect of medication on his mental health he has recently indicated that he did not believe that there would be any effect if he ceased to take medication. With respect to his diagnosis of pedophilia he believes that he has been cured.
• The treatment team is actively seeking an appropriate residence for Mr. Ginn and referral has been made Indwell Residence Program but acceptance into that program is contingent on an OT assessment and financial stability. As part of their preparation for a potential discharge to Indwell the team intend to move Mr. Ginn into the Hospital’s transitional apartment to evaluate his readiness for independent living.
• There has been a significant change in the results of the HCR20 which now finds Mr. Ginn to be a moderate risk if on a detention order.

Analysis and Conclusion, Significant Threat:

20. Although the issue of significant threat was not contested at the hearing, the Board nevertheless makes an independent finding that the evidence clearly establishes that Mr. Ginn continues to constitute a significant threat to the safety of the public. Mr. Ginn suffers from a long-standing treatment resistant major mental illness, schizophrenia, substance abuse disorder (in sustained remission) and pedophilia as well as a history of aggressive behaviour when unwell. He has limited insight into his illness, need for medication or potential risk to the community.

21. Mr. Ginn currently has neither a residence nor any forms of support in the community outside of the Outreach Team. Absent supervision, there is a substantial risk that he will fall away from treatment resulting in a substantial increase of risk to the public. The most recent HCR 20 finds that if granted an absolute discharge Mr. Ginn’s risk of violence in the next 12 months would be high.

Analysis and Conclusion Necessary and Appropriate Disposition

22. The Board also finds that the evidence clearly supports a finding that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a detention order. Mr. Ginn has no place to live in the community and no significant support in the community other than the Outreach Team. The Board adopts the statement in the Hospital Report with respect to Mr. Ginn’s risk factors:

At this time, a detention disposition is recommended. While Mr. Ginn has demonstrated medication compliance and some progress through therapeutic interventions, various risk factors remain unresolved. These include chronic, treatment-resistant schizophrenia with residual symptoms, a diagnosis of pedophilia with recent sexually inappropriate behaviour, limited and inconsistent insight, and an above-average sexual reoffence risk per STATIC-99R. Furthermore, housing arrangements are not yet secured. The hospital requires the ability to approve his accommodation because without adequate supervision and support, there is a high likelihood of medication nonadherence and behavioural relapse, which could lead to psychiatric decompensation and increased risk of violence or sexual offending.

23. There is no air of reality to consideration of a conditional discharge at this time.

DATED this 26^th^ day of February 2026, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.

Robert Bigelow

Alternate Chairperson

Office of the Registrar

Ontario Review Board