A Montreal judge has ruled that a 24-year-old man accused of assaulting a Jewish man last month in front of his children is not criminally responsible, Canadian media reported. A medical report found the victim’s religion was not a factor in the attack.
Sergio Preciado was charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm. He was captured on video attacking a 32-year-old man in front of his children last month in Dicky-More Park in Montreal. The footage prompted widespread condemnation, including from Canada’s prime minister.
An ultra-Orthodox man was attacked in front of his children in Montreal, his kippah was thrown into a fountain
“This is not a hate crime but a crime arising from mental illness,” the provincial prosecutor’s office confirmed in an email statement. CBC reported that the accused was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, which found he suffers from a mental illness, likely schizophrenia — despite having no prior diagnosis before his arrest.
The opinion concluded that at the time of the assault he was in the midst of a psychotic episode and therefore unable to think rationally or be responsible for his actions. The young man, who will not face criminal prosecution, is being held in a psychiatric hospital.
The video shows the assailant repeatedly striking the Jewish man, after which the victim is seen on his knees with one of his children clinging to him. The attacker lifted several items in a shopping bag and then threw the victim’s kippah into the area of a fountain.
The attack drew a wave of condemnation last month. Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, commented on the assault: “The attack on a Jewish father in Montreal in front of his children is a horrific act of violence. Everyone in Canada has the right to live in safety. My thoughts are with the victim and his family as they recover.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar — who also strongly condemned the incident and called on the Canadian government to act — said at the time that he had spoken with the victim, whose name is David. “I just spoke with David, who was brutally attacked in front of his children simply because he is Jewish, in Montreal last Friday. I offered him and his family my support. I am deeply concerned about the rise in antisemitism toward Canada’s Jewish community. I call on the Canadian government to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism and to name this crime for what it is — a hate crime. I invited David and his family to Israel, and I look forward to seeing them in Jerusalem soon.”