Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 25, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A3 Do you have a loved one living with schizophrenia or psychosis? The MSS Family Support Group is here for you. Manitoba Schizophrenia Society 204- 786- 1616 SELECTED AREA RUGS 895 CENTURY ST. | 204- 783- 9600 Mon, Tues 9am - 5pm, Wed 9am - 8pm, Thurs, Fri 9am - 5pm, Sat 10am - 5pm 50 % OFF LAST CHANCE 233 Henderson Hwy . 204- 669- 5590 . bikesandbeyond. ca H o u rs : M o n d ay to Fr i d ay 1 0 - 9, S a t u rd ay 1 0 - 6 , S u n d ay 1 - 5 ENJOYWINTER! 20 % 50 % OFF JACKETS MID LAYERS AND BASE LAYERS TO from Patagonia, Outdoor Research, Swix and Salomon ( in stock items only) 1717 WAVERLEY 204- 284- 7650 or 1- 877- 432- 8670 mymidtownford. com Payments based on 96 months at 5.49% OAC. Eligibility required for Costco offer. 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Judge John Scurfield rules Li did not appreciate his actions were morally wrong and believed he was acting in self defence. Li is sent to the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. . June 3, 2010- In the first of annual hearings into Li's progress, the Criminal Code Review Board rules he can take supervised walks around hospital grounds as long as he is escorted by two staff members. The passes start at 15 minutes and increase incrementally to a maximum of one hour, twice daily. Manitoba Attorney General Andrew Swan steps in and puts the decision on hold until security measures at the facility can be beefed up. . June 3, 2011- The review board allows Li to spend up to a full day outside the locked unit on the hospital grounds. He only needs to be accompanied by one staff member. The board does not authorize group outings on the grounds nor does it allow him escorted passes into the community. . May 17, 2012- Li is allowed escorted trips into the community of Selkirk. The passes start at 30 minutes and increase incrementally to a maximum of a full day. Li has to be escorted at all times by a staff member and a security officer. . May 17, 2013- Li is allowed to make supervised, full- day trips further afield to Lockport, Winnipeg and nearby beaches. The board also says Li can be unescorted on the grounds of the mental hospital starting for 15 minutes at a time and working up to a full day. - The Canadian Press A look at schizophrenic slayer's increasing freedoms since his arrest and incarceration D OCTORS are recommending increased freedom for Vince Li, the mentally ill man found not criminally responsible for a random killing on board a Greyhound bus. Li appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom Monday for his annual review board hearing. He was described by his treatment team as a " model patient" who no longer suffers from the type of hallucinations that triggered the 2008 attack near Portage la Prairie. Dr. Steven Kremer, who has worked closely with Li at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, said it's time to loosen the reins. He proposed three suggestions: . Li be allowed unescorted passes into the city of Selkirk, on an incremental basis. Currently, Li is allowed off- site only while escorted. He has taken more than 100 such leaves into Selkirk without incident. . Li be allowed more relaxed escorted passes into Winnipeg. Currently, Li must be given oneto- one supervision. Kremer is recommending Li be placed under " general supervision," which will be one worker for every three patients. . Li be moved from a locked facility at Selkirk into a more relaxed, unlocked facility. The review board expects to make its decision within a week. But the Crown isn't objecting to the recommendations. " Mr. Li has done everything that's been asked of him," prosecutor Susan Helenchilde told court Monday. She conceded her department is in a difficult position given it represents the public and Li's actions were so brutal. " This is one of the most ghoulish tragedies in Canadian history," she said. However, Helenchilde conceded Li's best interests must be considered following his notcriminally responsible finding in court. Li was found not criminally responsible for the beheading of Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus in July 2008 near Portage la Prairie. A judge found Li suffered hallucinations from untreated schizophrenia at the time of the unprovoked attack and ordered him held at the Selkirk centre. To that extent, Kremer said Monday Li knows the importance of taking his medications for schizophrenia and has shown great insight into what triggered the attack. Li has been deemed a low risk to reoffend, and Kremer said the only security concern as Li ventures out into the community is that some member of the public might attack him. The family of Li's victim, Tim McLean, were in court Monday but not allowed to make a presentation to the board. They have been vocal critics of Li's relaxed freedoms and have pushed for tougher federal legislation. McLean's mom, Carol de Delley, said she believes mentally ill killers such as Li must be held indefinitely in a hospital. The federal government introduced Bill C- 54, the Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act, last year in response to Li's case. The bill would create a new category of high- risk offenders who can't be considered for release until a court agrees to revoke the designation. They would not have a review of their status for three years, would not be given unescorted passes and would only get escorted passes under narrow circumstances. The law would make public safety the main consideration in such cases and ensure victims would be notified when the offender is released. The law could also be applied retroactively. Advocates said the bill further stigmatizes the mentally ill, incorrectly suggests the likelihood of reoffending is connected to the brutality of the crime and makes people unnecessarily afraid of people who have a mental illness. www. mikeoncrime. com SEE DAN LETT A4 Li in line for more liberties Greyhound killer a ' model patient,' doctors tell review board hearing By Mike McIntyre SCAN TO VIEW INTERACTIVE TIMELINE th wo vi th pa ge un st pu co ca ti fi ' This is one of the most ghoulish tragedies in Canadian history' - prosecutor Susan Helenchilde JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Vince Li, who killed and beheaded Tim McLean aboard a Greyhound bus in 2008, was in court on Monday. A_ 03_ Feb- 25- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A3 2/ 24/ 14 7: 01: 38 PM ;