Home / Crime and Justice / Winnipeg Man's High-Risk Accused Status Removed by Court
Winnipeg Man's High-Risk Accused Status Removed by Court
16 Jun
Summary
- Man found not criminally responsible for parents' deaths had high-risk designation removed.
- The decision was the first of its kind in Manitoba court history.
- He will now have his discharge considered by a provincial review board.
A significant legal development occurred in Manitoba when a court removed the high-risk accused designation from Trevor Farley. Farley had been found not criminally responsible for the 2021 stabbing deaths of his parents, Judy Swain and Stuart Farley, and the stabbing of his former supervisor, Candyce Szkwarek. This designation had imposed additional restrictions, requiring superior court approval for any discharge.
The Court of King's Bench determined that the evidence no longer supports a substantial likelihood of Farley using violence to endanger others. However, Justice Kenneth Champagne acknowledged that Farley still poses a significant threat to public safety and ordered him to remain in custody at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre.
This case is notable as it represents the first instance of a Manitoba court addressing a motion concerning the rare high-risk accused designation. The decision shifts the responsibility for considering Farley's conditional or absolute discharge to a provincial review board, which is the standard process for individuals found not criminally responsible.
Justice Champagne noted that the Crown could seek to reinstate the high-risk designation if Farley's treatment falters, his medication becomes ineffective, or if he refuses treatment or exhibits violent behavior. Farley was experiencing religious delusions at the time of the attacks, according to previous court testimony.
