Psychiatric assessment ordered for accused in stabbing case

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on October 18, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 59-year-old Lethbridge man facing several criminal charges, including attempted murder, has been ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment.

Lethbridge lawyer Marcus Mueller requested the assessment Monday in Lethbridge provincial court, for his client, Kien Thanh Lam, who is also charged with aggravated assault, assault by choking, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The assessment was granted under Section 672 of the Criminal Code, which states a court may order an assessment of the mental condition of the accused, if it has reasonable grounds to believe it’s necessary to determine whether the accused is unfit to stand trial, and whether the accused was, at the time of the commission of the alleged offence, suffering from a mental disorder so as to be exempt from criminal responsibility.

Lam, who remains in custody at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre and was not required to attend court, had been scheduled for a bail hearing Monday before Mueller requested the assessment. The matter is set to return to court Nov. 15 to discuss the results of the assessment if it is completed. If the assessment has not been completed, an extension will likely be required.

Lethbridge Police responded to a domestic assault at about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 23 at a home in the Fairmont subdivision. They found a 59-year old man and 59-year-old woman suffering from stab wounds, and they were transported to hospital by EMS. Although the man was later discharged, the woman remained in hospital in stable condition.

Police determined the man assaulted the woman while his injuries were self-inflicted.

During a court hearing Oct. 3, Lam attended by CCTV from the jail. He was obviously distraught as he cried often and loudly, particularly after the interpreter explained the Crown is opposed to his release and he will remain in custody at least until he has a bail hearing. Lam was unable to attend court on his first scheduled date the previous week because he was on suicide watch.

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