Another Planet

In October 2005 the Accused and a friend smoked marijuana and took amphetamines during the day, then travelled by bus and by hitchhiking to a small town in the Lower St. Lawrence so the Accused could visit his parents. The driver who picked them up noticed nothing unusual. In town they bought ecstasy pills of a type known locally as 'blue pear' and took them during the night. In the hours that followed the two decided to go and beat up a local man because he wore an upside-down cross around his neck. At about 5 a.m. they entered his building unlawfully and attacked him with punches and kicks. A neighbour from the second floor came down to see what the noise was and tried to intervene. The Accused grabbed him, threw him down the stairs, went down after him and stomped on his head. The neighbour was left permanently disabled and will spend the rest of his life in hospital. The evidence was that the pill had put the Accused into a toxic psychosis, a complete break between what he perceived and what was real. In his words he was 'on another planet', and it was not disputed that at the time he was incapable of knowing that what he was doing was wrong. He asked to be found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder under s. 16 of the Criminal Code.