Mental illness only explanation for alleged Quebec election gunman’s acts: psychiatrist
MONTREAL — The only explanation for accused Quebec election night shooter Richard Henry Bain’s actions outside the Parti Quebecois gathering in 2012 is mental illness, a forensic psychiatrist told his first-degree murder trial Friday.
Bain was never a violent man prior to the slaying for which he’s on trial, was generous to friends and family and respected the law, defence expert witness Marie-Frederique Allard told jurors.
But the accused was a “ticking time bomb,” due to an underlying bipolar disorder and a dangerous cocktail of anti-depressant medication he had been taking, which triggered a psychotic episode on election night 2012, she said.
“I don’t see any other explanation that is credible,” she said.