Re: Samuel Bulis Thale
formerly known as Samuel Manyo Rebo)
ORB File No: 6846
Hearing held on: January 26, 2026
Place of hearing: St. Joseph’s Health Care, Hamilton, West 5^th^ Campus, 100 West 5^th^ Street Hamilton Ontario
Pursuant to: Section 672.81 of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Ms. Suzanne Clapp
Members: Dr. Hy Bloom
Dr. Amanda Kerry
Mr. Agie Mete
Hon. Alexander Sosna
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Samuel Bulis Thale
(formerly known as Samuel Manyo Rebo)
Counsel: Mr. Len Dimitry
The Person in charge of Hospital: Counsel: Mr. Stephen O’Brien
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Mr. Brian Adsett
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated: March 13, 2026)
Introduction:
1. Mr. Thale was found not criminally responsible (NCR) in Newfoundland for the Criminal Code offence of Assault Causing Bodily Harm on November 28, 2008.
2. He is currently under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Review Board (“Board”) pursuant to a Disposition dated, January 30, 2025 whereby he is discharged subject to conditions.
3. A panel of the Board convened an annual hearing on January 26, 2026, at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, West 5^th^ Campus 100 West 5^th^ Street Hamilton Ontario (St. Joseph’s) to review the current disposition pursuant to 678.21 of the Criminal Code.
Issue to be determined:
4. The issue at this hearing is whether Mr. Thale, is a significant threat to public safety, as defined in s. 672.5401of the Criminal Code. If so, the necessary and appropriate Disposition in the circumstances must be determined, bearing in mind the factors enunciated in s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
Position of the Parties:
5. At the commencement of the hearing, the Hospital recommended a continuation of the existing Conditional Discharge. The submission from the Hospital was supported by counsel for the Attorney-General. Mr. Dimitry counsel for Mr. Thale advised he was instructed to seek an Absolute Discharge. Dr. O. Kolawole and Mr. Thale testified at the hearing.
Findings:
6. Having heard and considered the entirety of the evidence, including Mr. Thale’s testimony, and the submissions of the parties, the Board finds that Mr. Thale remains a significant threat to the safety of the public. Accordingly, for the Reasons that follow, the necessary and appropriate disposition which is also the least onerous least restrictive is a continuation of the current Conditional Discharge.
Index Offence:
7. The allegations giving rise to the index offence are summarized in the March 18, 2025 Reasons for Disposition:
On March 17, 2007 Mr. Thale assaulted a female co-worker at a bus stop outside their place of employment in St. John’s Nfld. Mr. Thale approached the victim and other co-workers. While acting bizarrely he asked the victim, “What have you got in your mouth?” or “What did you put in your mouth?” He began physically checking the victim’s pockets throwing the contents on the ground. In an unprovoked assault he punched the victim in the face and neck. The victim sustained a chipped tooth. When arrested Mr. Thale acknowledged the incident but denied assaulting the victim.
Current Psychiatric Diagnosis:
8. Mr. Thale is diagnosed with schizophrenia and mild intellectual disability.
9. Mr. Thale is 36 years old and single. In 2005 he immigrated from South Sudan to Canada and settled in St. John’s Newfoundland. He has no dependants. He has no criminal record. He is a Canadian citizen.
10. The index offence occurred on November 17, 2007. Mr. Thale was 18 years old. He was found not criminally responsible on November 26, 2008. On September 4, 2013 the Newfoundland Labrador and Review Board ordered that Mr. Thale be bound by a Conditional Discharge.
11. Plans were progressing to transfer Mr. Thale from Newfoundland to Ontario in order that he have contact with individuals of his own cultural group. Mr. Thale was living independently in an apartment in St. John’s pursuant to the terms of the Conditional Discharge.
12. Mr. Thale left St. John’s on an unauthorized leave of absence in October 2015 and travelled to Ontario. An emergency hearing was held by the Newfoundland and Labrador Review Board on October 21, 2015 and ordered that Mr. Thale be followed by the forensic program at St. Joseph’s. The Attorney General for Ontario consented to Mr. Thale’s interprovincial transfer. From October 22, 2015 Mr. Thale lived with family or friends in Hamilton. He consented to be admitted to St. Joseph’s.
13. Mr. Thale was an inpatient at St Joseph’s until he was discharged to live in the community on May 31, 2016. He was readmitted to the Forensic Unit for three months in 2017 because of an incident of sexually inappropriate behaviour. A combined Restriction of Liberties and Disposition Review Hearing was held on January 17, 2018. The Board agreed with the Hospital’s decision to significantly increase the restrictions on Mr. Thale’s liberties because of the breach. At the Hospital’s recommendation the Board ordered a Conditional Discharge Disposition. Mr. Thale had two short voluntary admissions in 2018 and 2019 for medication changes and concerns for his safety (related to a social media post).
14. Since 2018 Mr. Thale has been housed at the Transitional Rehabilitation Housing Program at St. Joseph’s. Originally, he lived at Emmaus Place but struggled to manage the responsibilities of independent living. He was transferred to Rukavina House in May 2025, where he presently resides. Rukavina House provides 24-hour staff support, assistance with activities of daily living, mental health counselling, supervision, medication management and meals. Mr. Thale has adjusted well to his new living environment and it is the treatment team’s opinion that this is a more appropriate placement for him.
15. Mr. Thale is employed two to three days a week as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. He is also enrolled in a part time General Arts and Science program at Mohawk College in Hamilton. He has regularly participated in psychotherapy related to interpersonal boundaries and social interactions with women.
16. Mr. Thale remains subject to a Conditional Discharge pursuant to the January 30, 2025 Disposition which requires in part that he:
a. Report to the person in charge of St. Joseph’s…or his designate no less than once per month and;
b. Advise a person in charge of St, Joseph’s…or his or her designate, in advance, of any absence from his residence of 24 hours or more.
Present Psychiatric Profile:
17. Dr. Kolawole has been Mr. Thale’s psychiatrist for 10 years. He adopted the contents of the Hospital Report dated December 30, 2025 (Exhibit 1). Dr. Kolawole testified that Mr. Thale’s primary clinical risk factor is his limited insight into his illness and treatment needs. Referencing Mr. Thale’s historical risk, those include a serious mental health disorder with ongoing residual symptoms of schizophrenia, prior medication non-adherence, and an index offence involving assault.
18. Dr. Kolawole reported that Mr. Thale, while generally stable this last reporting year, experiences residual symptoms of episodic exacerbations, including paranoid delusional beliefs about people entering his space or harming him. These symptoms fluctuate in intensity.
19. Mr. Thale’s intellectual disability challenges his ability to plan, to problem-solve, and to set realistic goals. He benefits from a robust support system which includes 24-hour support at his housing, his Outpatient Forensic Case Manager, Team 5 housing workers, and his housing worker. He is incapable of making treatment decisions. These are made on his behalf by the Public Guardian and Trustee. Mr. Thale struggles to manage independent living. He requires 24-hour support for daily living tasks.
20. While Mr. Thale is not currently using substances, he has expressed a desire to resume cannabis use when he is granted an Absolute Discharge and denies any potential adverse impact on psychiatric stability.
21. An updated Risk Assessment was conducted in November 2025, which concluded that Mr. Thale’s risk of violent re-offending under the current Disposition would be considered Low; however, in the absence of the supports he currently receives, his risk status would be significantly higher, possibly at a Moderate or higher ranking (Exhibit 1, pg. 51). Dr Kolawole referred to this risk assessment and testified that the “risk remains real”.
Mr. Thale’s Evidence:
22. Mr. Thale confirmed that he is employed on a part-time basis as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. Further, he attends Mohawk College, taking courses on a part-time basis. He appeared to take great pride in his accomplishments.
23. He testified that if he were granted an Absolute Discharge, he would continue his employment and studies. He would live locally at some address to be later determined, with a friend not named. He would make arrangements with a local family physician to prescribe and administer the medication necessary for his ongoing treatment. His future plan is to return to Newfoundland, find employment, establish new roots, and possibly reconnect with individuals from his past. He would continue his educational pursuits at a university in Newfoundland. He stated he would not use cannabis.
Assessment and Conclusion:
24. After considering the Hospital Report, the evidence of Dr. Kolawole, and the evidence of Mr. Thale, the panel found that Mr. Thale continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.
25. In coming to this conclusion, the panel considered the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Winko v. British Columbia (Forensic Psychiatric Institute), 1999 CanLII 694 (SCC), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 625 (“Winko”).
26. In part, the Court held that in coming to a conclusion on the issue of significant threat, a Review Board should closely examine a range of evidence, including the circumstances of the original offence, the past and expected course of the accused’s treatment, the present state of the accused’s mental condition, the accused’s own plans for the future, the support services existing in the community, and the recommendations provided by the experts who have examined the accused.
27. Applying the guidelines in Winko, the panel considered the following factors to determine whether Mr. Thale continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.
a. The circumstances of the index offence:
The offence was serious. It involved a gratuitous assault in a public place on a female co-worker waiting at a bus stop. When confronting the victim, Mr. Thale physically imposed himself on her, rifled through her pockets and threw the contents to the ground. In an unprovoked attack, he punched the victim in the face and neck. The victim sustained a chipped tooth. When arrested, Mr. Thale acknowledged the incident but denied assaulting the victim.
b. The previous and expected course of Mr. Thale’s treatment:
Dr. Kolawole, Mr. Thale’s psychiatrist for 10 years, testified that the current primary clinical risk factor is Mr. Thale’s ongoing limited insight into his illness and treatment needs. Mr. Thale’s risk factors include a serious mental health disorder with ongoing residual symptoms of schizophrenia, prior medication non-adherence, and an index offence involving assault. Further, Mr. Thale has an intellectual disability that contributes to challenges involving planning and realistic goal setting. When unwell, Mr. Thales illness is characterized by persecutory delusions, visual, auditory and tactile delusions, agitation, aggression and behavioural disorganization. Recurrent paranoid themes include believing that people intend to kill him, or deport him back to Sudan, want to sexually assault him or decrease his sexual function, or inject substances into his body to harm him.
c. The present state of Mr. Thale’s mental condition:
Dr. Kolawole reported that Mr. Thale, while generally stable this last reporting year, experiences residual symptoms of episodic exacerbations, including paranoid delusional beliefs about people entering his space or harming him. He moved to his place of residence this reporting year and requires ongoing supervising.
d. Mr. Thale’s Future Plans:
Mr. Thale’s plan, if granted an Absolute Discharge, is to live independently in the community, continue his employment and studies, manage his mental health treatment, and carry out daily living tasks, which because of his limitations are presently provided on a 24-hour basis. Mr. Thale’s long-term plan is to re-establish his roots in Newfoundland, find employment, and take up studies at university. The panel found there was no concrete plan that would support Mr. Thale in the community either in Hamilton or Newfoundland. The panel accepted it was the robust support system that Mr. Thale receives as a result of his Disposition that has substantially mitigated his risk to the public, and that without such support in the community, Mr. Thale’s mental condition would decompensate, and he would be at risk of acting out in a way that is similar to the index offence.
28. Regarding Mr. Thale’s risk factors, the panel adopts the conclusions set out in part at pg. 55 of the Hospital Report:
[Mr. Thale’s] dynamic risk factors remain present: residual psychosis (particularly pre-injection), limited insight, cognitive limitations affecting independent judgement… and a stated interest in cannabis use without appreciation of potential harms.
The most plausible risk scenario for future violence involves psychiatric destabilization arising from reduced medication adherence and/or substance abuse, combined with impaired judgement and impulse control...
It is therefore the unanimous opinion of the treatment team that Mr. Thale continues to meet the threshold for significant threat to the safety of the public, but that his risk is appropriately and safely managed under his current Conditional Discharge and intensive supports. Reducing or removing these controls prematurely would be expected to increase risk over time, due to the likelihood of treatment disengagement, symptom exacerbation, and poorer decision-making in the community
29. The panel further finds that Mr. Thale’s proposal to be granted an Absolute Discharge has no air of reality given his limited insight into his illness, his unresolved treatment needs, and his intellectual disability which challenges realistic goal setting. If granted an Absolute Discharge Mr. Thale would pose a significant threat to the safety of the public.
Conclusion:
30. The Board accepts the recommendation of the Hospital and treatment team that there be no change to Mr. Thale’s current disposition dated January 30, 2025. A continuation of the existing Conditional Discharge is the least onerous and least restrictive disposition in the present circumstances.
DATED this 13^th^ day of March 2026, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Alexander Sosna
Legal Member
______________________
Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board