Notable Canadian cases where an accused was found not criminally responsible
A judge has ruled that Pierre Ny St-Amand, 53, was not criminally responsible for the 2023 bus attack on a Laval, Que., daycare that killed two small children and injured six others. Superior Court Justice Éric Downs concluded Ny St-Amand was experiencing psychosis and could not discern right from wrong. He has been ordered detained in a psychiatric hospital.
Here's a look at some other high-profile Canadian cases in which there was a not criminally responsible finding:
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Canada Standard
2 hours ago
- Canada Standard
India to seek extradition of alleged terrorists from Canada
New Delhi believes secessionists are using the country as a base India is expected to urge Canada to expedite the extradition of 26 alleged terrorists, who government officials in New Delhi have accused of using the country as their base, according to the Deccan Herald newspaper. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the G7 summit in Alberta from June 15 to 17, and is expected to address the matter in a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Indian media outlets added. Modi is also likely to emphasize the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the countries. New Delhi officials are hopeful that Ottawa will expedite the pending extradition requests and arrest alleged gangsters and terrorists who have escaped to Canada from India, a source told the Deccan Herald. A statement from the Canadian Prime Minister's Office revealed that the two leaders have agreed to "maintain ongoing law enforcement discussions and address mutual security concerns." Certain members of Canada's Sikh community have been demanding the establishment of Khalistan, an independent ethnoreligious nation carved out of the Indian state of Punjab and surrounding areas. This movement has been central to rising tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa, especially following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that India was involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a key figure in the movement. India views Khalistan activists as a national threat and has banned their organizations. It has designated the leaders of the movement, including US-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of Sikhs for Justice, as terrorists. US prosecutors alleged last year that Indian officials were involved in a plot to assassinate Pannun, who is based in New York and holds both US and Canadian citizenship. Tensions escalated in October 2024 when Canadian officials accused Indian diplomats of targeting Sikh activists in Canada, leading to mutual expulsions of diplomats. Trudeau at the time condemned India's actions as a "fundamental error," while New Delhi denied the allegations, claiming they were part of a broader strategy to undermine India for political gain. Pro-Khalistan separatists have organized protests, chanted anti-India slogans, and targeted diplomatic missions and Hindu temples, with violent attacks in Canada, the US, UK and other countries which have significant Sikh populations.
The Province
15 hours ago
- The Province
American father wanted for allegedly killing his three daughters may be trying to flee to Canada
Google searches days before Decker's daughters were found dead, indicate an intent to leave the U.S. for Canada around the time of the alleged murders Undated photo provided by Wenatchee Police Department shows Travis Caleb Decker, the Washington state father who is wanted for murder of his three young daughters. (Wenatchee Police Department via AP) AP An American military veteran accused of kidnapping and killing his three young daughters near Leavenworth, Washington, is still at large, possibly near the Canadian border in Washington state. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Travis Decker's connection to Canada focuses on apparent plans to flee to this country in the days leading up to the deaths of his three daughters. According to court documents and a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit, Decker conducted several Google searches on May 26, 2025, such as 'how does a person move to Canada,' 'how to relocate to Canada,' and 'jobs Canada.' He also visited the official Canadian government job website, 'Find a job – This site provides resources for finding employment and information about working in Canada, suggesting he was looking for practical steps to secure work as part of a relocation plan. While specific details of every site he visited are not public, his search terms and the official nature of the websites accessed align with typical pre-arrival research steps. These include understanding immigration pathways and requirements, exploring job markets and employment resources, gathering information about settling in Canada, such as housing and health care. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. These searches occurred just days before Decker's daughters were reported missing and subsequently found dead, indicating an intent to leave the United States for Canada around the time of the alleged crimes. Does the location of the bodies of Decker's daughters link him to Canada? The bodies of Decker's daughters were discovered near a campground in Chelan County, Washington, relatively close to the Canadian border and approximately 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, a well-known route that leads directly into Canada. Why would Decker's military training influence the choice to slip into this country? Authorities believe Decker may have been planning to use his military survival and navigation skills to escape into Canada undetected, possibly via remote terrain, such as the Pacific Crest Trail. His training included land navigation, survival, long-distance movement, and operating in woodland and mountainous terrain — skills that would be critical for traversing remote areas near the Canadian border. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Both law enforcement and family members have noted Decker's ability to live off grid for extended periods, reportedly up to 2.5 months, using his survival knowledge to remain hidden for an extended period. This has shaped their search strategy, focusing on wilderness areas and trails that require advanced survival abilities. Are officials searching the Canadian border? The U.S. Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies have expanded their search to areas near the Canadian border, and they are considering the possibility that Decker may have attempted to cross into Canada to evade prosecution. Read More Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Vancouver Canucks Local News Sports Sports BC Lions
Canada Standard
20 hours ago
- Canada Standard
"Khalistanis surrounded me, threatened violence," says Canadian journo who was assualted
Vancouver [Canada], June 8 (ANI): Canadian Investigative Journalist Mocha Bezirgan, who was physically assaulted by multiple Khalistanis in Canada on Sunday, said that an assailant was also a stalker, who had been tailing him for over a year. Bezirgan, in a conversation with ANI, said that the said Khalistani stalker doxed his movements and assaulted him in front of the police. 'Well, I'm still in Vancouver and it just happened two hours ago, not too long ago, and I'm still shaking because I was surrounded by multiple Khalistanis who acted like thugs. They surrounded me, threatened violence and they got physical with me. They grabbed my phone out of my hand in front of police, by the way,' he said. Bezirgan said that the stalker harassed him for a long time using dehumanizing language against him. 'This has been very stressful for me because this was done by an individual who has been harassing me for a very long time online using dehumanizing language against me, doxing my whereabouts,' he said. Bezirgan told ANI that he had been covering Khalistani protests and being an independent journalist, his works irk them. He added that they try to bribe him, and if that doesn't work, they threaten violence. 'I've been covering the Khalistani protests in Canada, US, UK, New Zealand. Since last year, I've been to about 30 of their events. And my only goal is to do independent journalism and record and report what's going on. And because I'm editorially independent, this frustrates some people. They want to influence me. They want to buy me. If they can't buy it, they want to threaten violence towards me. That's what this individual did,' he said. Bezirgan added that this Khalistani stalker of his is a UK citizen who is threatening him- a Canadian citizen for simply doing his job. 'He's not even a Canadian citizen. He is from the UK. He is in Canada, threatening me, a Canadian citizen trying to do his job. And yeah, I was just there reporting on the event,' he said. He said that he was reporting an event which was honouring their so-called martyrs- killers of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and minor suicide bombers. 'Khalistanis gathered to honor their so-called martyrs, including the assassins of Indira Gandhi and suicide bombers, child suicide bombers. And I was reporting on that. This was a public event in a public location. And I was within my rights to do what I was doing,' he said. He further recounted the chilling details where he was verbally threatened first and then was assaulted. 'But there was this one individual who was not even a Canadian citizen. He came up to me and started asking me questions. He was very close to my face. And I said, listen, if you want to have a conversation, sure, let's talk, but you need to keep your distance. And he would keep saying, let's go around the corner. Let's go around the corner. I'll show you around the corner if you're not scared. And I told him, yeah, I'm not scared, but let's speak here,' he said. 'If you want to say something, because I'm an independent journalist, I have to be accountable. I accept challenges and I'm okay with conversations, but this individual, this was not a conversation,' he added. Bezirgan then said that as this assailant drew closer, more people joined him and the stalker kept throwing questions at him. 'He keeps coming at my face, very close proximity. I'm stepping one step back, he's stepping forward. I'm telling him to keep his distance. He's not keeping his distance. He's asking loaded questions and won't even allow me to answer. Interrupting, advancing towards me, keeping his finger and hands towards my face. This is becoming very threatening. And then all of a sudden I had two, three people surrounding me with the same physical closeness. I have nowhere to go,' he said. 'And they're saying, so you're talking, you're talking about Sikhs, huh?' he added. Bezirgan said that as he started recording the incident, the other assailants hid their faces out of fear and walked away. But there was one Khalistani who kept asking him questions. He even grabbed his phone and stopped the recording and assaulted him despite police's warning. 'At that moment, I was recording secretly from my main camera because I felt that something physical is about to happen. I was recording, but to get a better view, I started recording from my phone as well. As soon as I started recording, they turned their faces away. They are scared. But this one individual, he keeps walking towards me. I walk away, he keeps walking. And then eventually he grabbed my phone out of my hand for a moment. It stopped my recording. And when I turned back on, the police was engaging with him and telling him to stop his harassing behavior,' he said. The journalist revealed that the police exercise restraint in addressing such issues. 'Canadian police are very conservative when it comes to laying charges or making arrests. They exercise a high degree of restraint, which I do not like because that type of behavior where he's reaching for my phone, grabbing my phone, having physical contact, harassing me. And I have filed police reports about this individual about this specific individual before, for his harassment,' he said. Bezirgan expressed his disappointment at the Canadian police and called for the deportation of the assailant. 'And, you know, him being allowed to walk free is a big disappointment. I think he should be deported back to UK. He's a foreign national. He's not a citizen of Canada. What is he doing interfering with my job, interfering with the journalism of a Canadian citizen? This is unacceptable. He should be deported,' he said. Bezirgan further recounted with chills how he was stalked even after police warning. 'His harassment continued even after police warned him. And I have more footage I'm about to upload on my channel. He continued following me throughout the parade. I'm stopping, he stops. I keep walking, he keeps walking. I distance myself and then I just turn around, he's standing right behind me. I go walk across the street. He comes near standing,' he said. He added that he called the police after this Khalistani person kept stalking him even outside the premises of the event. He added that he had filed multiple complaints of this person before with the police. 'I get away from the event. He's getting away from the events with me. And then eventually I had to call 911 and be like, Hey, this behavior is continuing and officers on the ground may not be aware, but I have filed police reports about this guy before. So please let them know. And officers came and they took notes for the police report further. And then they escorted me to safety. On top of a bicycle, he followed me to the train station, and that's how I departed from the area,' he said. He added that the assailants are trying to portray him as a weakling who is running away from questions. He refuted the claims and said that this is not how someone asks questions, this was threatening. 'But, now on online platforms, they are trying to frame it as, Mocha is afraid of conversation or they are always resorting to disinformation and they are trying to portray me as someone who's afraid to have conversation when I'm being assaulted, I'm being threatened, I'm being surrounded. My phone is being grabbed from my hand,' he said. 'That's not how you have a conversation. You don't go up to someone's face and don't give them any space and you keep talking and not letting them, that's not conversation. Very uncivilized and yeah, it's been, it's quite shaken me because I felt my safety was threatened,' he added. In a post on X, he said, 'I've been surrounded by a group of Khalistanis who grabbed my phone out of my hand and threatened me. Naturally I'm a bit shaken, but not deterred. Footage coming.' (ANI)
