No psych assessment for federal prisoner
Vincent John Ryan Currie, 42, argues his impulsiveness, anxiety might exempt him from criminal responsibility for failing to be at halfway house as required by conditions of release
A judge ruled this week that a former Fredericton man who violated the conditions of his statutory release from prison failed to prevent convincing evidence to justify a psychiatric exam in his case.
Vincent John Ryan Currie, 42, formerly of Fredericton, renewed his request Tuesday for a court-ordered psychiatric assessment to determine if he might be exempt from criminal responsibility due to a mental disorder at the time he was unlawfully at large when subject to a prison sentence.
He was arrested on Fredericton’s north side July 4 after Correctional Service Canada issued a warrant for his arrest after he allegedly left his Saint John halfway house in violation of his release conditions.
A judge can only order such a psychiatric assessment if there are grounds before the court indicating there could be a need for it.