Due to mental incapacity, a Canberra man who used a meat cleaver to attack three other people was judged not guilty of murder.
Justice Belinda Baker considered the reports of four experts before finding the defendant not guilty by reason of mental disability yesterday in the ACT Supreme Court.
When Wajid Kakar attacked his housemates and killed one of them, two forensic psychiatrists had concluded that Kakar was probably dealing with a pre-existing psychotic condition, such as schizophrenia.
The casualties included a guest of one of the housemates and two of Mr. Kakar’s housemates.
On February 20, 2021, in the early hours, Mr. Kakar attacked housemate Michael Williams, who suffered injuries to his arms, head, neck, and back.
The attack nearly severed the man’s spinal chord and broke his skull.
Therefore, Mr. Williams passed away.
After being attacked by Mr. Kakar, Simon Tyler, a second housemate, sustained more than 40 distinct lacerations.
Later, he said that the incidents felt “like something out of a horror movie.”
Asha Miller, who was at the time visiting Mr. Tyler, claimed that while being attacked by Mr. Kakar, she once peered into a mirror and saw her skull.
After a neighbor alerted the police to the house, emergency surgery helped save Mr. Tyler and Ms. Miller’s lives.
Later, Mr. Kakar admitted to psychiatrists that he had no memory of the fatal assault.
Justice Baker stated in her ruling that she was confident Mr. Kakar was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
She stated that experts suspected Mr. Kakar would undergo other psychotic episodes and that he posed a “grave risk” to the community.
She stated that Mr. Kakar would be imprisoned for a maximum of 30 years and pointed out that this sentence was equivalent to the one she would have imposed if Mr. Kakar had not been exonerated due to his mental condition.
Justice Baker stated that she “given significant weight to the need to recognize the harm done to the victims and community” while proposing the word.
