Judge sends accused back to Pinel
A 25-year-old man who is alleged to have nearly strangled a nurse in the Montreal General Hospital’s ER last month, along with being accused of assaulting a patient attendant, was ordered by a Quebec court judge Thursday to undergo further psychiatric evaluation and treatment for another 30 days.
Wearing a grey sweatshirt and light blue jeans, Nabil Beriski appeared briefly before Judge Serge Boisvert. His hands were cuffed in front of him in the prisoner’s box.
The court is seeking to determine whether Beriski is mentally fit to stand trial — whether he is aware of the charges against him as well as the judicial proceedings.
“What is the role of the prosecutor in court?” his legal-aid lawyer asked Beriski at one point.
The accused did not appear to answer, muttering an inaudible response under his breath that left many in the courtroom guessing.
In addition to the legal-aid lawyer, Beriski’s parents have also hired a lawyer, Hassen Djemame.
At one point in the proceedings, Djemame motioned to Beriski to look in the direction of his parents, who were seated in the courtroom.
Beriski’s mother stood up and blew him a kiss. Her son was motionless, a blank expression on his face as he stared through thick eyeglasses. The judge ordered Beriski back to the Institut Philippe-Pinel for further mental assessment and therapy, saying he wanted to determine how the mental state of the accused would evolve over 30 days. Beriski is to return to court on Nov. 3.
Beriski faces charges of aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm in the case of a psychiatric ER nurse at Montreal General in the early-morning hours of Sept. 2. He is also accused of assault and assault causing bodily harm following the attack on a female patient attendant.
The near-strangulation of the nurse caused an outcry among staff at the hospital, some of whom accused management of not taking security seriously enough amid steep budget cuts.
Both the nurse and the patient attendant are still on sick leave.