Home / Crime and Justice / Psychiatrist: Accused Mountie Killer Likely Schizophrenic
Psychiatrist: Accused Mountie Killer Likely Schizophrenic
15 Jul
Summary
- Forensic psychiatrist believes accused in officer's death likely has schizophrenia.
- The man was previously found unfit to stand trial in April 2026.
- He is undergoing treatment with antipsychotic medication, but dose is low.
Forensic psychiatrist Mandeep Saini testified at Jongwon Ham's B.C. Review Board hearing, stating he is more certain that Ham suffers from schizophrenia. This hearing assesses Ham's current mental state, following a B.C. Supreme Court judge's April 2026 ruling that found him unfit to stand trial. Saini noted that Ham's delusions are deeply entrenched and that the accused does not believe he is mentally ill. Ham has been receiving antipsychotic medication since May 25, 2026, as part of a gradual dose increase plan, although a sufficient trial of the medication has not yet occurred. The court previously determined that Ham's "delusional thinking" prevented him from making rational decisions for trial.
Saini expressed uncertainty about whether the core issues leading to the April 2026 unfitness ruling persist, as Ham continues to refuse to discuss key matters. While some "softening" of beliefs is observed, Saini doubts that approximately seven weeks of low-dose antipsychotic medication would be enough to significantly alter them. Ham's social worker, Derrick Carew, also reported Ham as "co-operative." Const. Yang was fatally stabbed on October 18, 2022, when she approached a man in a tent in Broadview Park. An investigation by the Independent Investigations Office found no reasonable grounds to believe the shooting of the man in the tent by Const. Yang constituted an offense.
