A Windsor man who attacked a senior on Ottawa St. has been found not criminally responsible.
Following a full-day hearing on Tuesday which heard from two doctors, the judge found 29-year-old Richard Pillar wasn't criminally responsible for the crime even though he had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and breach of probation.
In September 2016, an 83-year-old woman was walking on Ottawa St. heading to the bank when Pillar accosted her from behind.
He pushed her to the ground, then held her head and stabbed her repeatedly in the eye and face.
She suffered serious facial and eye injuries.
Pillar suffers from severe mental illness.
The victim, Rina Campagna, tells AM800 news she does not hate Pillar because she knows he suffers from a mental illness.
"He is a real real sick guy," she says. "I speak to his mother and she feels so bad for me."
She says following the attack, she couldn't go out.
"My face after three to four months, my face was like a monster because it was black and swollen and everything."
She is still suffering from vision problems particularly double vision due to nerve and muscle damage from the attack.
The case now moves to the Ontario Review Board where Pillar will be assessed within 45 days.
"It will likely determine a disposition and they will take a number of things into consideration including safety of the public," Assistant Crown Bryan Pillon told AM800 News outside of the Ontario Court of Justice. "As well as the appropriate disposition for Mr. Pillar and what kind of medical treatment he will require going forward."
He says due to Pillar's mental illness, Pillar isn't capable of understanding the gravity of the offence or that it was morally wrong.
"It is important for everyone to be mindful and the public to be mindful that this isn't necessarily Mr Pillar getting off. He will be held in custody until being reviewed by the Ontario Review Board."
Blood on the sidewalk after Ottawa Street stabbing (by AM800's Peter Langille)
Remember that attack on an 83-year old woman on Ottawa St. A ruling has been handed down for the attacker. Here is the assistant crown @AM800News #cklw. pic.twitter.com/7YvWi1MLci
— Teresinha Medeiros (@tmedeiros800) April 25, 2018