logo
Hearing in September on whether Quebec daycare crash accused is high-risk offender

Hearing in September on whether Quebec daycare crash accused is high-risk offender

LAVAL – A court hearing will take place in September into whether a man who killed two children by driving a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare should be declared a high-risk offender.
Superior Court Justice Éric Downs today set aside one week beginning Sept. 15 to hear arguments from prosecutors and the defence team for Pierre Ny St-Amand.
Last week, the 53-year-old former bus driver was found not criminally responsible after Downs agreed with a joint recommendation from the Crown and defence that the accused was likely in psychosis when he crashed the bus into the daycare on Feb. 8, 2023.
Prosecutors have said they will argue that Ny St-Amand should be declared a high-risk offender, a designation that would ensure he is held under strict conditions at a psychiatric facility.
The defence, meanwhile, has said it will challenge whether the high-risk offender status is constitutional, during a separate hearing that Downs said today will be heard over a week beginning Nov. 15.
Downs told defence lawyers he wanted a response from federal government's lawyers on the high-risk designation, which was included in the Criminal Code in 2014 for people found not criminally responsible for violent crimes.
Killed in the crash were Jacob Gauthier, 4, and a five-year-old girl named Maëva, whose family name is covered by a publication ban at the request of her parents. Six other children were injured.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
The case will return to court on May 27.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Appeal court upholds Regina mother's acquittal on charges in son's death
Appeal court upholds Regina mother's acquittal on charges in son's death

CBC

timean hour ago

  • CBC

Appeal court upholds Regina mother's acquittal on charges in son's death

Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal has dismissed the Crown's appeal in the case of Chelsea Whitby, who was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of her son. Whitby's 18-month-old son, Emerson, died in hospital on June 10, 2020, and his death was attributed to blunt-force trauma to the head. The Crown argued at trial that Whitby had committed an unlawful act that caused Emerson's death, but the case was based largely on circumstantial evidence and expert opinion evidence. Although Whitby didn't testify at trial, she had repeatedly denied hurting her son, including during a police interrogation that lasted seven and a half hours and was played in court. Whitby was charged with second-degree murder, but at trial the Crown argued for a conviction on the lesser and included charge of manslaughter. Regina Court of King's Bench Justice Catherine Dawson acquitted Whitby of both charges in September 2023, after a lengthy trial. "I cannot say that I am not suspicious that Ms. Whitby may have done something untoward to Emerson on June 10, 2020. However, I must be guided by the law," Dawson said in her trial decision. "I am left in a reasonable doubt … and I am not satisfied that Chelsea Whitby's guilt is the only reasonable inference to be drawn from the circumstantial evidence as a whole." During the trial, the judge excluded some evidence the Crown tried to introduce, limiting the scope of opinion evidence from two of the Crown's expert witnesses related to the timing and cause of Emerson's death. The Crown argued on appeal that was an error, but "there is no dispute that the trial judge correctly articulated the law," Justice Neal Caldwell wrote in last week's appeal court decision, with Justice Jerome Thall and Justice Jillyne Drennan concurring. WATCH | Regina mother acquitted of murder, manslaughter in son's death: Regina mother acquitted of murder, manslaughter in son's death 2 years ago Duration 2:11 Chelsea Whitby, 27, was initially accused of second-degree murder in the death of her 18-month-old son Emerson on June 10, 2020.

Montreal police looking for missing 75-year-old man with cognitive impairments
Montreal police looking for missing 75-year-old man with cognitive impairments

CBC

time2 hours ago

  • CBC

Montreal police looking for missing 75-year-old man with cognitive impairments

Social Sharing Montreal police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing 75-year-old man with cognitive impairments. He is believed to be without his medication. Mohammad Ihsan-Ghazi was last seen at around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday near the corner of Hochelaga and Bercy streets in the city's Ville-Marie borough. He is described as having a tan skin tone, brown eyes and black hair. He's five feet and 11 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds. Police say he speaks Urdu and English. He was last seen wearing blue pyjama pants, a brown vest, a red short-sleeve shirt, a brown tuque with black lines and brown shoes. He's known to go to Tim Horton's, McDonald's as well as parks. Police say he has difficulty getting around and investigators, as well as his loved ones, fear for his health and safety.

Mother and 3-year-old son drown in home pool in Lachine, Montreal police say
Mother and 3-year-old son drown in home pool in Lachine, Montreal police say

CBC

time3 hours ago

  • CBC

Mother and 3-year-old son drown in home pool in Lachine, Montreal police say

A mother and her three-year-old are dead after drowning in a pool inside a residence in the city's Lachine borough. According to Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils, a 911 call was placed at around 9:35 p.m. on Tuesday about two possible drownings at a property located near the corner of 20th Avenue and Provost Street. Officers and paramedics who rushed to the scene located both victims and they were unconscious. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and both the mother and her son's deaths were confirmed at the scene. Late Tuesday night, police set up a perimeter around home to help investigators piece together what happened. The deaths have since been ruled accidental and Montreal police have transferred the investigation to the Quebec coroner's office.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store