In late July, Mr. McLean,a young carnival worker was stabbed to death and his head severed, a second-degree murder by Vincent Li. The murder took place on a Greyhound bus in Alberta when Mr. Li suddenly stood up and began attacking Mr. McLean. “If someone commits an offence while suffering a disease of the mind and they don't know their actions are wrong, they can't be held criminally responsible," said defence lawyer Allan Libman. To ensure that Mr. Li is indeed mentally ill, Mr. Li has been co-operating with doctors and consenting to treatment. Although there will be results on his mental state of mind, details of the psychiatric assessment will not be released as it may violate Mr. Li's rights. A trial is soon expected on November 6. If he is criminally responsible, he would receive treatment and be instituionalized. Clearly upset with the news, Mr. McLean's family is suing Greyhound, the federal government, and Mr. Li
Does the fault truly lie in the man with a diseased mind who had no intention to kill? Although Mr. Li may be one of the many victims to murder others upon the mental state of mind, any murder relating to the reason of mental illness should be punished accordingly. The excuse of mental illness gives no rights to kill an innocent person. If Mr. Li was to have been charged falsely, this instance is essentially showing that anyone with mental issues are legal to murder anyone by "accident." It would be only right for Mr. Li to be placed in an asylum under watch for the same amount of time that should be done in a prison.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081006.wgreyhoundtrial1006/BNStory/National/home?cid=al_gam_mostview
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