A young woman whose throat was slashed in a terrifying attack at the University of British Columbia last year agrees with the court's decision to send her assailant to a hospital rather than a prison.
On Thursday, a B.C. Supreme Court justice found Thamer Hameed Almestadi not criminally responsible for trying to kill Mary Hare at the Salish House dormitory where they both were living back in October 2016.
The court heard Almestadi, an international student from Saudi Arabia, was suffering from a brief psychotic disorder and believed God had ordered him to make a human sacrifice.
Following the decision, Hare, who was also an international student at the time of the attack, told CTV News the trial has given her and her family long-awaited closure.
"Before this trial, I really didn't know anything that was going on," she said. "I didn't know what his motive was, I didn't understand. And now I'm able to appreciate the reasons and that really helps me."
Though she is still mentally recovering from the attack, which left her with three scars on her neck, Hare said she no longer harbours any resentment toward Almestadi.
"At this point, I really just wish the best for him and his family," she said. "I know it's been a really difficult journey for all of us, but I hope we can all start to recover."
Hare visited Vancouver for the trial but is now back home in Oregon. She left school after the attack, which happened when she was just 19 years old, but said she expects to return soon, and might even consider going back to UBC.
Crown prosecutor Daniel Porte said he has "the utmost respect for the incredible strength that she has shown during the last year."
Almestadi was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon for the disturbing attack. The court heard he knocked on the door of Hare's room around 11:30 in the morning, slit her throat with a knife then started choking her.
Hare fought back, grabbing the blade of the knife and breaking it off before two other students ran into the room and helped pull Almestadi off of her.
The attacker and victim had only briefly met once prior to the incident.
The court heard Almestadi, who was 18, had no history of mental health issues but had been stressed and struggling in the weeks before he forced himself into Hare's dorm room. He'd also started suffering from paranoid thoughts and believed people were sending him telepathic messages.
Almestadi was at one point referred to counselling, but could not get an appointment immediately.
The university declined to comment on the circumstances of the incident Thursday.
"The finding was that Mr. Almestadi was suffering a psychotic break at the time, and as a result of the psychotic break, he was not aware that what he did was morally wrong," Porte told reporters outside court.
Almestadi will be detained at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, a secure treatment and rehabilitation centre in Coquitlam. How long he will remain in custody will depend on the B.C. review board, which will be holding a hearing to determine what happens next in the case.
Hare said she will be following the developments closely as she continues working through her healing process.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber and Carly Yoshida-Butryn
