‘He was homeless and untreated and profoundly psychotic’: Toronto man should be found not criminally responsible for fatally pushing woman, court hears [Video]

Ryan Cunneen in a court sketch from a Toronto appearance in January.

Alexandra Newbould THE CANADIAN

While he doesn’t believe he has a mental illness or needs treatment, Ryan Cunneen nevertheless accepts that a court should find him not criminally responsible (NCR) due to a mental disorder for pushing and killing an elderly woman in a random incident on a downtown Toronto sidewalk last year.

The Crown and defence made the joint proposal for the NCR finding to Superior Court Justice Rita-Jean Maxwell on Tuesday, based on the assessment of a forensic psychiatrist who met with Cunneen, 39, and found he suffers from schizoaffective disorder, which impacted his ability to make rational decisions at the time of the incident.

Jacques Gallant is a Toronto-based reporter covering courts,justice and legal affairs for the Star. Reach him by emailat [email protected] orfollow him on Twitter: @JacquesGallant