Continued treatment for dog mutilation accused
A man who mutilated a dog so seriously it had to be euthanised was found to be unfit for trial under the mental health legislation in the Christchurch District Court today.
The 25-year-old Christchurch man was granted permanent name suppression on the advice of a mental health report which said having his name published would overwhelm his capacity to cope, and exacerbate his depression.
Defence counsel James Rapley said the man needed treatment and care.
Judge Alistair Garland said the man got angry with a dog, kicking it and mutilating it. He drove away from the incident and police followed him through an intersection and a park. The man hit a car in Lincoln Road, and then went onto train tracks where he abandoned the car and ran along the tracks until police arrested him.
At his last appearance in court Judge Stephen O’Driscoll received a report under the Criminal Procedures (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act that said the man was insane at the time of the incident, and he ordered the further report to assess whether the man was fit to stand trial.
Judge Garland told the court that that report said the man needed improved understanding about his illness. He had expressed remorse at what he had done, and his risk could be managed without him being detained if he continued to get treatment from the Community Mental Health Team.
Category: News
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