REGINA – A very quiet man appeared in Regina Provincial Court this morning.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t speak, he apparently favoured nodding his head to reply to ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions from Judge M.J. Hinds.
Mikias Abeye was appearing on a charge of attempted murder, accused of striking a woman in the head with a hammer. Abeye initially refused seeking counsel from a Legal Aid lawyer, but also did not want to represent himself on the serious charge.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to speak in a place like this,” Judge Hinds said to the accused. “It can be intimidating, would you agree?” Abeye nodded “yes” in response.
Ultimately, Judge Hinds asked one of the deputy sheriffs in the courtroom to offer Abeye a pen and paper in order for the man to write down his thoughts. Through his note, Abeye explained that he is an “inaudible speaker.”
“I won’t speak until I feel I can speak normal again, which will be never,” he explained in the note.
Judge Hinds adjourned the matter for one week, ordering a mental health assessment in the meantime. Attending Legal Aid counsel advised that such assessments tend to take up to two weeks on average before a report is available.
“I’m ordering an assessment on you, Mikias, just to see how you are feeling,” Judge Hinds gently explained. “I appreciate you writing these words for me.”
The Crown asked for a no-contact order with the victim and complainant while Abeye is in custody awaiting his next appearance on June 19.
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