MUN student charged with attempted murder back in court on theft charge
Masih Allahbakhshi appeared in court with a bandaged finger; said racists injured him
Masih Allahbakhshi entered provincial courtroom No. 7 Monday afternoon visibly agitated, with his finger bandaged.
“They broke my finger,” he told his lawyer, Mark Gruchy, who attempted to calm him down. “They punched me many times, because they are racists and nothing else.”
Allahbakhshi didn’t say who he was talking about, explaining, “I don’t want to say their names.”
The 30-year-old MUN student has been in custody since Saturday afternoon, when he was arrested for allegedly stealing from a Winners store in St. John’s, as well as for a number of allegations of breaching court orders. He made a short appearance before a judge and was set to have a bail hearing Monday, but Gruchy requested a postponement until Tuesday.
Allahbakhshi is set to go to trial next year for attempting to murder a fellow student by trying to push him over a cliff on Signal Hill in April 2017. The two men reportedly fell about 20 feet and the victim received minor injuries. Allahbakhshi was released on bail as the matter made its way through the courts.
He was arrested again nine months later and charged with attempting to poison the same man four days before the alleged Signal Hill incident. The charge came after police received forensic testing results from food alleged to have been spiked with prescription drugs.
After a bail hearing lasting a number of days, Allahbakhshi was again freed with strict conditions, including that he check in with police three times a week, remain away from weapons, have no contact with the alleged victim, and refrain from working or volunteering in any capacity that requires him to prepare or serve food to the public.
Allahbakhshi has not yet entered a plea to the alleged poisoning and will be back in court on that charge next month.
He has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge and was arraigned in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court a week ago. He’ll go to trial in September 2019.