Man charged in assault to undergo assessment

The man charged with assaulting a 10-year-old girl in Pointe-aux-trembles on Monday has been ordered to undergo an assessment at a psychiatric hospital to determine if he is fit to stand trial.

Quebec Court Judge André Perreault issued the order at the Montreal courthouse as Tanvir Singh, 21, of Anjou, made a brief appearance before him on Wednesday. Perreault ordered that Singh be evaluated at the Philippe Pinel Institute or at the detention centre where he is currently detained if he is unable to be transferred.

Singh will remain behind bars and his case will return to court on March 23.

He was arrested late Monday morning after the girl was attacked for no apparent reason. The child was walking along Tricentenaire Blvd. near Victoria St. with another young girl when she was assaulted. Her attacker struck her repeatedly on the head and then dragged her for a short distance before bystanders intervened and called 911.

A witness who heard the girl cry ran over and intervened, pinning the assailant to the ground and putting his foot on him to hold him there.

The girl's name cannot be published due to a publication ban intended to protect her identity.

Singh is charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. A conviction for aggravated assault, the most serious charge Singh faces, comes with a maximum sentence of 14 years.

Prosecutor Annabelle Sheppard said the Crown objects to Singh's release because he probably represents a danger to public safety and because a person well informed of how the justice system works would lose faith in it if he were to be released.

Sheppard also said the request for the evaluation was made jointly with legal aid lawyer Milèva Camiré.

Camiré told the judge that Singh underwent a quick mental-health evaluation at the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday and Sheppard later told reporters it produced signs that Singh should undergo a full evaluation at Philippe Pinel Institution.

Many members of the girl's family were present at the courthouse on Wednesday.

“The reason why we are here is so that the criminal, the monster, doesn't get out, that he not be released,” the girl's aunt told reporters.

“He is a danger to the public.”

The woman also said that while her niece remains in hospital, her health is improving.

“It will take time, but she is getting better and she is also very much in shock,” she said.

“All I know is that she is a victim and she did not deserve this.”