Freedom for Canadian cannibal who beheaded bus passenger

WINNIPEG: A Canadian man who was found not criminally responsible for beheading and cannibalising a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus has been granted his freedom.

Manitoba’s Criminal Code Review Board announced on Friday it has given Will Baker, formerly known as Vince Li, an absolute discharge, meaning he is no longer subject to monitoring.

Baker, a diagnosed schizophrenic, killed Tim McLean, a young carnival worker who was a complete stranger to Baker, in 2008.

A year later he was found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.

McLean’s mother, Carol de Delley, has been outspoken against granting Baker freedom, saying there would be no way to ensure he continued to take his medication.

She declined comment in a post on Facebook Friday, saying “I have no words”.

Baker was initially kept in a secure wing of a psychiatric hospital but was given more freedom every year.

He has been living on his own in a Winnipeg apartment since November, but was still subject to monitoring to ensure he took his medication.

Baker’s doctor, Jeffrey Waldman, told the board earlier that he is confident Baker will remain on his medication and will continue to work with his treatment team.

Waldman testified that Baker knows it’s the medication that keeps his illness at bay.

In a written decision, the review board said it “is of the opinion that the weight of evidence does not substantiate that Baker poses a significant threat to the safety of the public.”

Waldman said Baker plans to visit his native China if released but would live in Winnipeg for the next two to three years.

He is on the waiting list for a post- secondary training programme and plans on establishing a career in the city.

Baker emigrated to Canada from China in 2001 and became a Canadian citizen four years ago.

Baker sat next to the 22-year-old McLean on the bus after the man smiled at him and asked how he was doing.