A Canadian court on Monday ruled that the attacker of a Jewish man in Montreal last month was not criminally responsible for his actions due to mental illness, the CBC broadcaster reported on Tuesday.
Quebec Court Judge Eric Poudrier ruled that 24-year-old Sergio Yanes Preciado could not be held responsible for the assault of the Jewish man, which happened in front of the victim’s children at a local park. A psychiatric evaluation indicated that the perpetrator was in the midst of a psychotic episode at the time of the incident.
Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, told JNS that his organization has “full confidence” in the justice system.
This “does not negate the harm caused to the Jewish community,” he said. “It’s incumbent on the authorities that, as part of his not being criminally responsible, this individual receives treatment and care to ensure he no longer poses a risk to the Jewish community or Canadian society in general.”
The Quebec office of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, a major political organ of Canadian Jewry, wrote on X that, “Although in the specific case of Sergio Yanes Praciedo the accused was deemed not criminally responsible, it was reported in recent days that law enforcement had recommended filing charges related to a hate crime.”
This “once again demonstrates that the antisemitism currently rampant is a cancer that affects all spheres of society and attacks our social fabric,” CIJA Quebec wrote.
Preciado had been charged with assault causing bodily harm after the August attack at Dickie-Moore Park. A widely circulated 28-second video showed him repeatedly striking a 32-year-old man as one of the victim’s children clung to him. The assailant was later seen throwing what appeared to be a kipah to the ground, sparking outrage.
Prosecutors, however, said religion was not a factor in the assault. “It is not a hate crime, but a crime resulting from a mental illness,” they said in a statement. The medical report indicated that Preciado, who had no prior psychiatric diagnosis, is likely suffering from schizophrenia.
The evaluation concluded that he was unable to distinguish right from wrong during the attack. He remains under psychiatric care at Montreal General Hospital.
B’nai Brith Canada documented 6,218 antisemitic incidents in the country in 2024, a record high and an increase of seven percent over 2023.
