Psych centre can’t control killer

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This article was published 29/09/2009 (6176 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A mentally ill killer has been removed from Manitoba’s only long-term secure psychiatric facility because of concerns his violent actions can no longer be controlled, the Free Press has learned.

Joey Wiebe has a long history of disciplinary issues, which include a two-week escape in 2006 and a pattern of aggressive, intimidating behaviour towards staff and other patients at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre.

Now he is sitting in a cell at the Winnipeg Remand Centre facing an uncertain future.

Wiebe, 26, allegedly started a small fire in his room earlier this month, which was quickly contained. A search also uncovered bottles of whiskey.

“He apparently set his pants on fire,” defence lawyer Greg Brodsky said Monday. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

“We’ll probably get into an argument down the road about whether this was really an arson or just a mischief,” said Brodsky.

Wiebe is scheduled for his annual Criminal Code Review Board hearing on Oct. 5. Brodsky expects a heated debate about Wiebe’s file.

Wiebe has caused repeated problems for staff since being found not criminally responsible (NCR) in 2001 for the brutal murder of his stepmother, Candis Moizer, at their home in Niverville. Her throat had been slit and her bedroom set on fire. Since then, he has been locked in a bitter legal battle with the Selkirk centre over the type of treatment he should receive.

Doctors say Wiebe is difficult to treat because he doesn’t suffer from a specific psychotic disorder that can be controlled through medication. Defence experts at his trial found he was suffering from a brief mental “episode” caused by his personality disorder at the time of the killing.

Wiebe’s treating psychologist believes he faked his mental illness and should be in prison. Wiebe has stated, through his lawyer, that he now wishes he were behind bars because he fears he will never be released from Selkirk.

Until his recent removal, Wiebe was being held at Selkirk’s high-security forensic unit, where 14 patients deemed NCR by the courts currently reside. They include Vince Li, who beheaded a man on a Greyhound bus in 2008.

Selkirk Mental Health Centre officials spoke out in 2006, saying they wanted to send Wiebe to another province based on ongoing security concerns. No such action was taken.

Dr. Jim Willows told the review board Wiebe acts “grossly inappropriate at times” and has challenged staff members to fights, jumped up on tables and screamed and showed his fists while refusing to co-operate with counselling or treatment. Wiebe has also dared staff to “call the RCMP” — which Willows admits he’s done out of fear that staff or patients could be in jeopardy.

Willows said Wiebe’s September 2006 escape from custody — he easily ran away from two unarmed nursing assistants taking him to a medical appointment — was the last straw.

Wiebe admits he planned it and even received financial help from a source he refuses to identify. He cut his hair short, dyed it and shaved off his moustache and goatee. Wiebe then headed to the West Coast and certainly didn’t act like a frightened fugitive. He told police he spent two days sitting inside the B.C. Superior Court while he was being sought on a Canada-wide warrant. He also tried to pose for a picture with an officer he met at a rock concert.

Wiebe told police he always wanted to “see the mountains” and agreed to turn himself in to Victoria authorities on Oct. 11 following more than a dozen telephone conversations with Brodsky.

Brodsky has been a vocal critic of the Selkirk Mental Health Centre and accused Willows of creating a “toxic” environment that left Wiebe desperate to get away from.

www.mikeoncrime.com