The lawyer of Patrick Clayton, a man accused of holding nine people hostage at Workers' Compensation Board last month, is arguing his client is not criminally responsible for his actions because he was mentally disturbed at the time of the incident.
The development was announced in court on Monday morning, when a provincial judge granted the 38-year-old alleged gunman a psychological assessment.
Clayton is accused of engaging in a ten-hour standoff with police on October 21st, apparently in an effort to get his complaints about his treatment by WCB out to the media.
He is facing nine counts of unlawful confinement, six counts of pointing a firearm, possession of an offensive weapon dangerous to the public, careless use or storage of a firearm and use of a firearm during the commission of an offence.
No one was hurt in the standoff, and the gunman surrendered without incident around 6:30 p.m.
The matter returns to court on December 18th.
