A man charged with scrawling homophobic graffiti across six Saskatoon churches and institutions should undergo a psychiatric assessment, according to the Crown.
Appearing by phone Thursday, Amir Bozorgmehr represented himself, though he said “the real lawyer is Christ and Allah, the lawyer of the lawyers.”
A bail hearing had been scheduled, but prosecutor Tamara Denluck highlighted several reasons why the Crown felt the 36-year-old was unfit to argue on his own behalf.
“He does see himself as a prophet,” Denluck said.
The man was the subject of a mental health warrant carried out by the RCMP on April 21, though Denluck said she’s not aware of the outcome.
“There are mental health concerns present here,” she said.
Police first arrested Bozorgmehr after multiple churches were vandalized over the weekend. He was released on numerous conditions, but arrested again after officers found him throwing rocks at Saskatoon police headquarters early Wednesday morning.
There was also fresh spray paint on the side of the building, and officers said he told them of spray-painted churches.
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Bozorgmehr is charged with numerous offences, including three counts of mischief for reasons of bias, prejudice or hate based on religion by damaging property used for religious worship.
In open court, he called gay marriage “an abomination.”
The accused said the acts were a warning, citing a doomsday scenario and an apparent 550-page manifesto he claimed to have written over four years.
He said he’s been living in Saskatoon since 2012, but his home country is Iran.
Asked by Judge Robert Jackson if he’s ever been prescribed medication, Bozorgmehr said he’s never taken any drugs and his “only medication is prayer.”
His previous interaction with health professionals only revealed that he was an “ordinary person,” Bozorgmehr claimed. However, he was willing to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
“This is not actually surprising. Already, I have experienced that kind of reaction,” he said.
Bozorgmehr said he hopes after the evaluation, the judge will take him more seriously.
As Jackson tried to tell the accused about his next court appearance, Bozorgmehr spoke without interruption for more than three minutes.
“He’s not going to stop,” the judge said.
He is due back in court Friday.
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