R v Denny, 2009 NSPC 63

Charged with uttering threats, causing unnecessary injury to a dog and possession of a stolen dog and breach of probation. Accused threatened to slice the throats of his neighbours while they slept. A 3 month old pit bull was then found with a sliced throat. He had confessed to a witness that he had killed the dog and eaten it and then cleaned his hands in the nearby stream. Crown argued he was not criminally responsible. Expert said he was grossly psychotic at the time of the offences. The accused had a long history of schizophrenia, paranoid subtype, coupled with a substance abuse problem.

Held: found not criminally responsible, NCRMD.

Note: Accused was subsequently convicted of manslaughter – see [2016] N.S.J. No. 110 (NSSC).