Sex-assault offender unfit to stand trial
Alexander M. Hawkins, 29, found mentally incapable of instructing defence counsel
A developmentally delayed man who admitted to committing a sexual assault in the capital two years ago can’t be sentenced because he’s been deemed mentally unfit.
Alexander M. Hawkins, 29, of Saint John, previously pleaded guilty a Sept. 15, 2022, count of sexual assault and had been scheduled to be sentenced this summer and fall.
However, his sentencing hearing was delayed after defence lawyer Tim Murphy raised concerns about his client’s mental state and requested a psychiatric assessment to determine if he was mentally fit to be sentenced.