Psychiatrist: Hamp was ‘acutely and severely psychotic' the night he killed his girlfriend
Dr. Shabehram Lohrasbe testified and provided Court of King's Bench a 25-page psychiatric assessment Monday, where he said obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorder and cannabis use disorder were all 'relevant' to Hamp's psychosis but said he couldn't tell how much which of the three contributed.
Hamp is accused of second-degree murder in the death of Emily Sanche on Feb. 20, 2022. Hamp does not deny killing Sanche. His defence lawyer is arguing he is not criminally responsible because he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the attack.
Lohrasbe told the court Hamp 'was out of touch with objective reality' when he stabbed Sanche.
'I think the information I have suggests that mental disorder was the primary factor,' Lohrasbe said.
Lohrasbe was hired by the defence to conduct his assessment, which took place over two in-person meetings and one virtual meeting.
With roughly 40 years of experience and hundreds of testimonies in court, Lohrasbe said he had never seen anything like the detailed notes and documentation he also pored over as part of his assessment.
Sanche was studying to obtain her master's degree in counselling and kept detailed notes of Hamp's condition in the weeks leading up to the attack.
Emily Sanche - Thomas Hamp
Emily Sanche (Source: Dignity Memorial)
The court learned during previous testimony that Sanche's cousin Catherine also compiled a detailed list of notes using text messages exchanged with Sanche.
'I have rarely seen something so poignant and so close to the tragic events in question,' Lohrasbe said.
Hamp believed he and Sanche were the targets of a secret police, that he was surrounded by pedophiles and his medication would brainwash and chemically castrate him.
The trial originally began in September 2024, but had to be adjourned because of letters Hamp wrote to his parents while in jail. These letters weren't turned over to police or the court until shortly before the trial began, and Lohrasbe needed to review his assessment before testifying.
A previous batch of letters was used in evidence in the trial, where Hamp wrote he believed his paranoia and ensuing psychosis were caused by the weed he was smoking.
Hamp previously told the court he quit smoking weed two days before the attack after Sanche believed it was contributing to his delusions and asked him to stop.
On Monday, Lohrasbe testified cannabis use and schizophrenia can heighten a mental disorder.
On the night of the attack, Lohrasbe said Hamp's 'moral compass was hijacked by his psychotic episode' and the idea of killing Sanche came abruptly.
According to Lohrasbe's testimony, Hamp believed he needed to kill Sanche and himself to avoid a worse fate.
Hamp believed Sanche would be made to breed and tortured to death. Hamp stabbed himself and recovered in hospital.
The trial continues Tuesday with the Crown cross-examining Lohrasbe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
6 minutes ago
- CBC
A year after daughter's death, London dad urges action as Ontario reports rise in intimate partner violence
WARNING: This story contains discussion of intimate partner violence. One year after his 17-year-old daughter was killed by her boyfriend, Brett Broadfoot says he's learned a lot about how gaps in the legal system are failing women and girls facing domestic violence. "We have victims willing to step up and say what's happened to them, and then be left wondering why their abuser is on the street waiting to go to court with no monitoring," said the London, Ont., man. He spoke to CBC News ahead of the one-year anniversary of Breanna's killing and as new provincial police figures indicate a rise in the number of intimate violence cases. Breanna Broadfoot, 17, died in hospital on July 18 — two days after she was stabbed in a case that police have linked to intimate partner violence. An 18-year-old was shot by police, who say he had confronted them with a knife, and later died in hospital. Breanna's dad said she had a peace bond against the man who killed her. The protection order, commonly used in cases of domestic violence and other criminal offences, puts specific conditions on defendants to prevent them from committing harm. It didn't help in Breanna's case. "Unfortunately, what happened to my daughter is exactly what happens to a lot of these women where they still don't feel protected because the person that has abused them is left to be out on the streets, and that should not be happening," he said. "The reality is right now [alleged abusers] can do what they want and say, 'Yes, I won't communicate with this person or come near them,' but who's genuinely monitoring that?" Push for legislative change A CBC analysis of data from Ontario Provincial Police has found reports of intimate partner violence rose by 18.1 per cent in 2024: 6,289 compared to 5,326 in 2023, when there was a 13.5 per cent increase over 2022. Last month, the Ontario New Democratic Party introduced another bill that would require the province to recognize intimate partner violence as an epidemic and create an "implementation committee" to review the 86 recommendations from the 2022 Renfrew County inquest. (A similar bill, 173, received two readings and was referred to the province's justice committee last year, but the committee was dismantled amid February's provincial election.) The inquest followed the 2015 killings three women in the rural county. All were killed by the same man and on the same day. The recommendations provide a roadmap of systemic changes that could prevent domestic violence and femicide, and give oversight and accountability for perpetrators in the justice system and supports for survivors. The bill passed its first reading and is expected to be revisited in the fall. London West MPP Peggy Sattler is among its co-sponsors. She believes the declaration would allow the government to have more tools to address the issue. "When you declare an epidemic, it enables the government to mobilize resources to implement policy changes, make investments and to engage in the co-ordination needed to address a serious public health emergency — and that's what intimate partner violence is," said Sattler. "It has significant repercussions in our justice system, in our health-care system, and that's why so many organizations and experts have been repeating that call." Sattler said an implementation committee would include both experts and politicians from different ministries who would report back to the Legislature, to create accountability for which recommendations are being enforced. She also wants more investments in education and prevention, justice reform, affordable housing, and funding for shelters and agencies that help individuals fleeing abuse. Sattler noted the province can make the declaration without a bill, pointing to provinces such as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, which have recognized intimate partner violence as an epidemic, along with 106 Ontario municipalities, including London. Broadfoot believes the province declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic would be a good first step, but he also wants grassroots action. Raising awareness about domestic violence keeps the family going as they cope with the grief of Breanna's death, said Broadfoot, who has since joined the board of directors for the London Abused Women's Centre. "We continue to move forward and find the courage and strength to keep going each day, but there's a piece that has been taken from us," he said. "That grief will never go away, but it just comes in waves now." On Friday, the Broadfoots will host an event at Ed Blake Park to honour Breanna's memory.
CBC
6 minutes ago
- CBC
Municipal police chiefs say Nova Scotia RCMP expansion counters national trend
Municipal police chiefs in Nova Scotia say the province's decision to expand the RCMP moves in a direction opposite the rest of Canada and could lead to less effective services for residents. A Deloitte review into the structure of policing in Nova Scotia released last month suggested that Nova Scotia should create a provincial police force offering both special services and local policing to better serve the public. In response, the PC government is expanding the RCMP to operate as the provincial service, rather than create an independent force like the Ontario Provincial Police or Quebec's Sûreté. The review said there is room in such a model for municipal forces that can meet provincial standards. But the province said municipal forces that need access to special services — like emergency response or dive teams — to meet those standards must pay for the RCMP to supply them in new contracts. Chief Ryan Leil of New Glasgow Regional Police, speaking on behalf of the municipal chiefs' caucus in the Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association, said they are concerned this new requirement could come with a major price tag, forcing towns with their own departments to switch to the RCMP. "Why is the province taking that autonomy away from the municipal police agencies to be able to collaborate and support one another?" Leil said Monday. He said municipal agencies provide high-quality policing in urban areas where residents are used to seeing response times of just a few minutes, while the Deloitte review noted people in rural areas — which the RCMP usually police — complained of slow response times. "We think that we are well represented in our communities, and we want to invest in what is working … the models that we have currently in our municipalities are working," Leil said. He said it makes sense to have multiple forces with special services to offer across the province as contingencies, so there are other options if an RCMP service is tied up. The review recommended starting with the RCMP as the provincial police service, because this would mean "fewer costs and risks" due to current RCMP agreements with the federal government. The current RCMP contract policing agreements with provinces, territories and municipalities expire in 2032. But the review also said the province could eventually move to an independent provincial police service that would allow for more oversight and control. The policing review was recommended by the Mass Casualty Commission, which was highly critical of the RCMP response to the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting that claimed 22 lives, and called for organizational change. Leil said he understands that an independent provincial force would not be a "light lift," and would be very expensive to set up with the need for new training facilities and infrastructure, but it has become the trend across Canada. Besides established models in Ontario and Quebec, Alberta announced in April it was moving to create a provincial police entity. Just before leaving the prime minister's office earlier this year, Justin Trudeau said provinces should transition away from the RCMP as contract policing. Within the Atlantic region, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary recently took over territories from the RCMP following concerns the Mounties were not providing enough resources. "Our province, our country has been through some very unfortunate experiences, and we've seen grave impacts to public safety over the past number of years," Leil said. "We shouldn't shy away from doing the right thing, even if it is the most amount of work and the greatest amount of investment we have to make." Scott Feener, police chief for the Town of Bridgewater, said they created their own police dog unit and other services years ago, because it would take days for the Nova Scotia RCMP to send requested resources. Feener said he's concerned the Mounties will take years to scale up to the staffing levels needed to properly police their current areas and ensure they have the special services that can support an entire province in a timely manner. "My vision would be our municipal servicing the way it is, or services growing in size," Feener said. "If they move away from it, there will be a decrease in service … our public safety within town will deplete." Justice Minister Becky Druhan said in an interview Tuesday that she has confidence in the Nova Scotia RCMP's "ability to step up and deliver what we're asking them to do." She said the Deloitte review's recommendations, like bringing in one record system for police, and increasing the number of special constables rather than sworn police members, will improve the quality of policing in Nova Scotia. When asked about the national trend toward independent provincial forces, Druhan said that "would take significant extensive resources" and Nova Scotia would have to first expand the RCMP model into a provincial force, even if it wanted to go in that direction. "Our focus is really on Nova Scotians and our provincial landscape in Nova Scotia around policing is very different than the other provinces," Druhan said. "Nova Scotia is unique in a variety of ways — both the way in which policing has unfolded historically, also our geography and our population." When asked about the province's requirement to have municipal forces contract new special services from the RCMP, Druhan said it is a "reflection" of the review's point that a provincial service is the best way to provide consistency. Audits on all municipal forces and the RCMP on those provincial policing standards begin this fall, and Druhan said the province will work with municipalities "to determine next steps following that." Druhan had a meeting with the Town of Bridgewater on Tuesday that included the mayor, chief administrative officer and chair of the town's police board, but not the police chief. The minister said she will meet with the rest of the municipalities served by their own police departments in the next few weeks about their policing needs, and what a new funding formula will look like. A statement from Druhan said her office appreciates the Nova Scotia chiefs' perspectives, and while her current focus is on meeting with municipalities, she plans to reach out to chiefs in the "near future."
CBC
6 minutes ago
- CBC
What's going on with Nova Scotia Power's billing
Nova Scotia Power is sending workers out to manually check power meters at homes to ensure accurate billing, as some customers complain of receiving higher than expected bills. It's the latest development since a ransomware attack breached the company's computer systems on March 19 and brought some of its systems to a halt. More than half of the utility's customers in Nova Scotia — about 280,000 — were informed by letter that their personal information may have been compromised. "The meters on customers' homes have continued to accurately record energy use throughout the cyber incident, but they're unable to send the information back to our billing systems right now," Chris Lanteigne, Nova Scotia Power's director of customer care, told CBC's Information Morning Nova Scotia in an interview that aired Monday. Lanteigne said meters that previously could send power usage data directly to Nova Scotia Power haven't been able to do that since the breach. He said he expects meter readers will be out collecting data "over the next couple of months." He said bills that have been sent out over the last month were based on estimates of "seasonal usage from the previous year." 'We want to help' "When we are reading the meter, that will actually show the information that's on the meter to generate the bill," Lanteigne said. He said customers should call Nova Scotia Power directly if they're concerned about a bill. "We want to help them understand what has transpired on their bill and we're happy to talk it through with them and find a solution," he said. Billing was paused on April 25 — when the breach was discovered — and only resumed in early June. Now, some customers are receiving two bills within a relatively short period of time. "Over the course of the last five weeks or so, we've been catching up on billing," Lanteigne said. "So when customers are receiving a bill, a good way to think about it is the first one is catching up and then the time between that bill and the next bill will be shorter." He said the utility is not currently charging late fees on outstanding balances. Customer with solar panels gets 'significantly higher' bill Robyn Brown, a Nova Scotia Power customer in Dartmouth, has had solar panels on her home since September 2022. She said her bill is usually around $40 every two months — the cost of the meter fee, since the panels generate more electricity than she uses. Her latest bill was around $162, more than four times higher than normal. "It's not a lot of money compared to other people, but it was significantly higher," Brown said. People with solar panels get data about their power generation during a billing period. Brown said she noticed the latest bill didn't include that information. She called the company for answers and said she was told they weren't able to track her solar production. "I was like, 'How did you come up with this number?" … and basically [the customer service representative] didn't know where they generated this estimate from because it didn't make sense with any of my previous data. [She] said it could have been data from as far back as 2022 before I got solar." Brown said she was told she could pay the higher amount, which would eventually be reflected on her account as a credit, or she could wait. She said she paid the amount for the meter fee. Energy board calls for report "My concern is the fact that they don't seem to have an accurate read on how much solar producers are producing and I'm worried. What's my recourse if they come back with the next adjusted bill next month and there's no solar on there? Like what are they going to do then?" Brown said. The Nova Scotia Energy Board, formerly known as the Utility and Review Board, opened a proceeding into Nova Scotia Power's cybersecurity breach. It will require a report from the company — which is doing its own investigation — about the incident. The report to the energy board must include: An incident description. Details on affected systems and data, indicators of compromise (how the company knew a breach happened). A root-cause analysis (how the breach happened, plus vulnerabilities and security gaps). Impact analysis. Response and recovery actions. Details on collection and retention of personal data. Recommendations. "While the board appreciates that it will not be possible to publicly disclose certain information for security reasons and to mitigate impacts relating to personal and confidential information that was stolen, it is important that the board's inquiry be conducted publicly and as transparently as possible," a news release from the board said Monday. Once the report is filed, the board will establish a public process to review it and Nova Scotia Power's planning for and response to the event that happened. The board wants Nova Scotia Power to file the report by the end of the year, though that deadline could change.
