MEADOW LAKE – A 30-year-old man accused of assaulting a 74-year-old man has been found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
On Tuesday, Judge Michael Segu ordered that 30-year-old Jordan Andrew Scott Nelson’s case be sent to the provincial Review Board to determine what will happen next. Review Boards are specialized tribunals that are chaired by a judge, or someone qualified for a judicial appointment, and consists of at least four other members. One of the members must be a psychiatrist.
Even though Nelson is not criminally responsible for his behaviour, the public may need protection from future dangerous behaviour. The Review Board is expected to hear Nelson’s case on Jan. 13, 2023, and has three dispositions available, including an absolute discharge, a conditional discharge, or detention and custody in a hospital.
A mental health assessment to determine if Nelson was fit to stand trial was ordered in June 2021. In January an assessment determined he was fit to stand trial. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Nov. 22 to determine if there was enough evidence for Nelson to stand trial on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault with a weapon.
Nelson has been in custody since he was arrested on March 11, 2021, after an incident on March 10. Police say that at about 1:20 p.m. they had received a report of a serious assault in a rural area of the R.M. of Meadow Lake. The victim was taken to hospital in serious condition.
Less than an hour later, the Meadow Lake RCMP issued a SaskAlert warning the public in the area that a dangerous man with an axe was at large.
Officers from multiple detachments and units immediately flooded the area searching for Nelson and within half an hour police located and arrested him without incident.
Police say the victim and Nelson were known to one another.
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