A judge has ruled a Saskatchewan man who admitted to fatally stabbing his girlfriend was not criminally responsible due to mental illness.Thomas Hamp was found not criminally responsible for killing Emily Sanche in Saskatoon in 2022.He was facing a charge of second degree murder,Court of King's Bench delivered the decision Thursday following a judge only trial.Hamp admitted to stabbing Sanche on February 20, 2022. She died in the hospital about a month later from her injuries.During the trial, Hamp testified he was gripped by delusions at the time of the attack. .He believed "secret police" were coming to rape and torture Sanche. Hamp said he thought killing her was a "merciful" act to save her from that fate.He described being "engulfed in paranoia" and later acknowledged these beliefs were delusional.A forensic psychiatrist supported Hamp's defence. Dr. Shabehram Lohrasbe testified that Hamp was "acutely and severely psychotic" during the incident. The psychiatrist said this condition "severely impaired" Hamp's ability to understand his actions were wrong..Hamp had a history of mental health issues, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. He had stopped taking his prescribed medications before the killing. He was also using cannabis heavily, which may have worsened his psychosis.The judge accepted the psychiatric evaluation and ruled that Hamp's mental illness made him incapable of understanding the moral wrongness of his actions. As a result, Hamp will be placed in a treatment facility rather than prison.The Crown acknowledged mental health factors were involved but argued Hamp's cannabis use contributed significantly to the incident. However, the court found his mental disorder was the decisive factor.
