A Toronto man who argued he was suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis when he choked a seven-year-old girl three years ago while naked has been acquitted of assault charges.
asserted
he → argue → charges
Ahmed Baig pleaded not guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice to assault causing bodily harm and assault by choking for the Aug. 2, 2023, attack in which he left his home wearing only a towel after vaping cannabis.
asserted
he → plead → cannabis
His towel eventually fell off, and Baig started chasing a family he encountered in their driveway.
asserted
he → fall → driveway
“He ran into the driveway and picked up a seven-year-old girl.
asserted
He → run → girl
He threw her to the ground, punched her and strangled her.
asserted
He → throw → her
He then abruptly left the driveway, and a short time later was arrested by police.
asserted
He → leave → police
At the time of arrest, he wore only a T-shirt,” Justice Mara Greene wrote in a recent decision.
asserted
Greene → wear → decision
The judge concluded that Baig’s attack was due to “nonmental disorder automatism.”
asserted
attack → conclude → automatism
She found him not guilty of both charges.
asserted
him → find → charges
Baig didn’t “dispute that he attacked the seven-year-old girl,” said Greene.
asserted
Greene → dispute → girl
“He argued, however, that he should be acquitted of the charges because his actions were involuntary as he was suffering from a cannabis induced psychosis at the time of the attack.”
asserted
he → argue → attack
The Crown argued that “while Mr. Baig’s mental faculties may have been impacted by cannabis, his acts were still volitional,” said the decision.
uncertain
decision → argue → cannabis
In the alternative, the Crown recommended Baig should be found Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) due to a mental disorder.
asserted
Baig → recommend → disorder
The court heard Baig lived in a muti-generational home with extended family.
asserted
Baig → hear → family
On the day of the attack, he was left alone and got anxious.
asserted
he → leave → attack
“Home alone, Mr. Baig decided to consume cannabis to help with his feelings of anxiety,” said the Aug. 13 decision.
asserted
decision → decide → anxiety
“He used a brand of cannabis recommended by the store, but one he had not used before.
asserted
he → use → store
Instead of relieving his anxiety, he felt more anxious.”
asserted
he → relieve → anxiety
Baig called his wife, asking her to come home, then went to bed.
asserted
Baig → call → bed
“Mr. Baig testified that his next memory after lying down on his bed was being in a cell and then being fingerprinted.”
asserted
memory → testify → cell
His victim’s identity is protected by a publication ban.
asserted
identity → protect → ban
During the attack, which was captured on video surveillance, Baig “said both ‘I will kill you’ and ‘I won’t kill you,’” according to the victim’s mother.
“He also referred to Allah.”
He “sounded nonsensical at times and made comments about billionaires,” said the victim’s father.
uncertain
father → capture → billionaires
When police asked Baig if he wanted a lawyer, he “stated that he wanted Neil Patrick Harris or a lawyer from a television show,” said the decision.
asserted
decision → ask → show
“He also talked about bitcoin and lotteries.”
asserted
He → talk → bitcoin
Baig answered some questions appropriately and obeyed a police command to drop to the ground, said the decision.
asserted
decision → answer → ground
“He also told the police that he was ‘mentally insane.’
asserted
he → tell → police
Once at the police station he was able to answer questions posed to him and appeared more coherent.”
asserted
he → answer → him
Baig, 38, testified about having a “history of sleepwalking,” and that he used cannabis in the past to help deal with anxiety.
asserted
he → testify → anxiety
A psychiatrist and sleep expert testified that Baig “was either suffering from cannabis induced psychosis, sleepwalking or a combination of the two.”
asserted
Baig → testify → two
Sleep apnea led to Baig “being significantly sleep deprived,” said the psychiatrist, who opined sleep deprivation coupled with his history of sleepwalking and a new strain of cannabis caused the incident.
asserted
deprivation → lead → incident
Another psychiatrist was brought in to determine whether Baig was NCR.
asserted
Baig → bring → ?
An acquittal based on an absence of criminal (responsibility) for a violent act is rarely a satisfying verdict
He testified that Baig “did not appreciate the nature and consequences of his actions at the time of the attack as he was suffering from a cannabis induced psychosis.
asserted
he → base → psychosis
He further testified that in his opinion, Mr. Baig’s actions were involuntary.”
asserted
actions → testify → opinion
The second psychiatrist determined that Baig “did not qualify for an NCR defence because he did not have disease of the mind.
asserted
he → determine → mind
While Mr. Baig had a history of feeling anxious, he did not have an anxiety disorder, nor did he suffer form any other kind of mental illness.”
asserted
he → have → illness
This psychotic episode “was so intense that his capacity for rational perception and his capacity to make a rational choice was grossly impaired,” the second psychiatrist testified.
asserted
psychiatrist → make → choice
“Mr. Baig was rendered incapable of appreciating the nature, quality and wrongfulness of his actions.”
asserted
Baig → render → actions
The Crown argued that the evidence, at its highest, established that Baig was intoxicated “but not to the point of being an automaton.”
asserted
Baig → argue → point
Cases like this are difficult for trial judges, Greene said.
asserted
Greene → say → judges
“An acquittal based on an absence of criminal (responsibility) for a violent act is rarely a satisfying verdict.
asserted
acquittal → base → act
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
