There’s been another delay in the case of the man charged in last September’s U-Haul attack.
Abdulahi Hasan Sharif was back in court Monday morning but the case was set back one month while the court waits for a second mental health assessment.
Court heard the second assessment has yet to be completed. It evaluates a person’s mental state at the time of the offence to find out whether he or she could be found criminally responsible in a case.
READ MORE: Who is accused Abdulahi Sharif?
The Crown said part of the reason for the delay in completing the assessment is due to the challenge of “setting up an interpreter to interview the accused.”
The Crown requested Sharif make a plea on Monday, but the defence said receiving the result of the second assessment is critical in determining the direction it proceeds. The judge agreed with the defence.
“The delays are always concerning, but as I have said once before, ‘I’d be more concerned if the assessment isn’t done right or rushed through than for them to take the time they need, initially,'” Sharif’s lawyer Karanpal Aujla said.
Sharif is facing five counts of attempted murder in an Edmonton attack last fall.
In November, a judge agreed with Sharif’s lawyer that the 30-year-old’s mental health should be reviewed, so the accused was ordered to undergo two psychiatric assessments.
READ MORE: Bed shortage delays mental review for accused in Edmonton U-Haul rampage
A month later, court heard he had yet to be seen because there was a critical bed shortage at Alberta Hospital.
In January, Sharif was found fit to stand trial after the first part of the mental health assessment was complete.
“The first part of the assessment is that he is fit in the sense that he understands what is going on, he understands the proceedings, he understands the jeopardy he is in and basically everything around the proceedings as they are as of today,” Sharif’s lawyer Karanpal Aujla said on Jan. 12.
The next court appearance is schedule for March 14.
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