A 36-year-old man who was charged earlier this week after three religious centres were vandalized with homophobic statements has been charged again after he allegedly spray-painted three more churches and the Saskatoon police headquarters.
According to a news release, officers were alerted to a man throwing rocks at the police headquarters at around 2:30 Wednesday morning.
They went outside and said they found a man holding rocks as well as saw fresh spray paint on the side of the building.
A suspect was arrested and orange spray paint was found on him.
While being arrested, officers said the suspect told them had just spray painted three churches. Officers found spray paint on the three churches he mentioned.
Amir Bozorgmehr faces three charges of mischief for reasons of bias, prejudice or hate based on religion by damaging property used for religious worship.
He is also charged with mischief for damages to the SPS headquarters along with breaching conditions.
The Saskatoon Unitarians church, Emmanuel Anglican Church & Refinery and St. George’s Anglican Church were all hit with homophobic graffiti Wednesday.
Shawn Denham, hall manager at St. George’s said the message was “heartbreaking” and “disturbing.”
He said the church has LGBTQ2 members and holds monthly potlucks for them. While members are upset, they are also looking to move forward.
“I do forgive the person who did do this,” Denham said.
Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz of Saskatoon Unitarians said the message was “the work of one person who clearly has a lot of distress.”
She said the graffiti is totally opposite of the church’s values.
“That people are loved and respected whomever they are, whatever their sexuality, whomever they love,” she said.
Grosvenor Park United Church, along with McClure United Church and St. Andrew’s College, were all spray painted late Saturday.
Crown prosecutor Dan Dahl confirmed with Global News that Bozorgmehr is also accused in the weekend vandalism incidents.
Bozorgmehr was charged with three counts of mischief relating to religious property or educational institutions, two counts of mischief in relation to property, and one count of failure to comply with an appearance notice or promise to appear.
The Crown opposed Bozorgmehr’s release Wednesday afternoon in court.
Asked by the judge if he had a private lawyer, needed legal aid services or wanted to represent himself, Bozorgmehr answered: “I have a lawyer. His name is Christ.”
The accused will represent himself during a bail hearing on Thursday.
Bozorgmehr, who is living at the Lighthouse supported living centre, is believed to be originally from Iran and has a deportation order issued for him, according to Dahl.
“However, the problem is, he doesn’t have any identification. I also understand that we do not have diplomatic relations with Iran,” Dahl told Global News.
“So they can’t get Iran to issue him a passport.”
Immigration cannot remove someone from Canada unless they have a valid passport of the country they are being removed to, Dahl said.
Bozorgmehr was in court on Monday and was ordered to not be near the University of Saskatchewan campus, Grosvenor Park United Church, and to not be at the McClure United Church. He was also ordered to not possess any spray paint.
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