WARNING: This story contains details of a physically violent attack.
An Ontario man who attacked a security guard in Slemon Park, P.E.I., and ran her over with his truck has been found not criminally responsible for his actions.
During a hearing on Monday, a P.E.I. courtroom heard Alexy Lacrest, 41, had a history of mental illness and was diagnosed with bipolar psychosis.
Ontario man facing 6 charges, including attempted murder, after incident in P.E.I.
He had not been taking his prescribed medication in April during a series of events that began with him going missing from his parents’ home and ended in him facing six charges, including attempted murder.
The court heard Lacrest was living with his parents in Peterborough, Ont., when he went missing late in the evening on April 19. At the time, local police asked for the public’s help in locating him, noting there was concern for his well-being.
On April 21, a form 1 mental health warrant was issued for Lacrest under the Mental Health Act. This would allow authorities to immediately transfer him to a psychiatrist facility for evaluation because there was an imminent risk of harm to himself or others.
But Lacrest was no longer in his home province.
He had been driving for four days and had not slept when he reached Slemon Park in the early morning hours of April 24.
The former Royal Canadian Air Force base has been converted into a business park. The victim was a security guard in the area and was on patrol when she found Lacrest banging on the door of one of the hangars.
The security guard tried to get Lacrest to move along by honking and flashing her lights, but sensing something was off, the guard followed Lacrest and saw him behaving strangely, including making faces at her and pulling at his hair.
The woman asked Lacrest if he was alright and, according to an agreed statement of facts read in court, he replied with a “derogatory remark.”
The guard then followed Lacrest as he drove in an erratic manner. At this point, she was also taking pictures and had called the Summerside police.
She was on the phone with police when Lacrest got out of his vehicle and approached hers.
He struck her on the head and forced her out of the truck — pinning her against the side — and began choking her.
As she began to lose consciousness, she fell to the ground. Lacrest then returned to his truck, got in and ran over her torso.
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“She reported having to move her head to avoid it being crushed as the vehicle moved,” the Crown prosecutor told the court.
“The audio recording captured Mr. Lacrest at one point laughing and at another point telling [the victim], ‘You are going to die.'”
The victim was able to grab her cellphone and continued communicating with police, who would eventually arrive to find her on the ground, covered in blood.
Police also found Lacrest nearby, sitting in his truck. They arrested him, but he became combative and “violent,” punching and biting at least three officers.
The victim was taken to hospital and treated for her significant injuries before being released. She had a broken nose, extensive cuts and injuries to both knees. Medical professionals described it as “astonishing” that she did not have further internal injuries.
The victim has been in and out of hospital since the attack due to her “very serious psychological trauma,” the court documents describe.
“Mr. Lacrest, you agree that those are the facts of the matter?” P.E.I. Chief Judge Krista MacKay asked Lacrest after the information was presented in court.
“Yes I do, your honour,” Lacrest answered from a video room in Hillsborough Hospital with a calm, even tone — a stark contrast to the person described on court documents.
Lacrest was originally taken to the Summerside jail, but he has since moved to P.E.I.’s only psychiatric facility. In the last five months Lacrest has had several assessments that have been filed with the court.
An out-of-province forensic psychiatrist determined he was eligible for a defence that exempted him of criminal responsibility due to the “particularly acute” episode of mania and psychosis he was experiencing at the time.
Lacrest’s lawyer Daniel Gallant said the psychiatrist’s report was “quite complete and quite precise.” While the report has not been made public, Gallant said he echoed the author’s findings that his client had a pre-existing condition and was hallucinating at the time.
“He was chasing creatures that did not exist. There seemed to be a large conspiracy,” Gallant told the judge. “We’re asking the court to find Mr. Lacrest not criminally responsible.”
Gallant entered Lacrest’s pleas as not guilty by virtue of mental disorder to charges of attempted murder, driving in a way that endangered the public, and three counts of assaulting a police officer.
MacKay accepted the report and those findings, but chose to stay the charge of assault with a weapon on the grounds that the act of running the victim over with a vehicle was covered under both attempted murder and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
“I will refer the matter for disposition to the Criminal Code Review Board,” MacKay said.
Each province and territory has such a tribunal for cases where a person is found not criminally responsible, or NCR. It is chaired by a judge, or someone eligible for a judicial appointment, and has at least one member practicing psychiatry. P.E.I.’s board currently has 10 members.
The board has three possible options once an NCR case is referred: an absolute discharge, a conditional discharge or detention in custody in a hospital.
MacKay ordered Lacrest to be detained in hospital until his disposition hearing can be held.
His lawyer told the court they plan to ask P.E.I.’s attorney general to transfer his matter to Ontario.
In a victim impact statement shared with CBC News, the victim writes that the night of April 24 has had profound impacts on all parts of her life.
“I have been dealing with ongoing physical, emotional and mental consequences. I suffered serious injuries requiring reconstructive surgery, and I continue to live with physical pain, debilitating migraines, weakness and other symptoms. My dental injuries have also required significant and ongoing repairs,” she wrote.
“I have been diagnosed with acute PTSD and struggle with flashbacks, panic, anxiety, sleep issues, difficulty concentrating and memory problems. I also experience tremors from even minor stresses.”
The victim says that before the attack, she saw herself as strong and independent, but now has to rely on others in ways that are “incredibly difficult” for her.
“It has affected not only me, but my family and the people closest to me who love me,” she writes.
“Violence doesn’t necessarily end when the person who caused it is no longer in the picture.… I am still trying to understand who I am now and how to love this version of myself that I no longer recognize.”
