Sentencing of Timothy Brian Morash delayed

The sentencing of Timothy Brian Morash will have to wait a few months.

Morash, 42, appeared in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Tuesday for his sentencing hearing. He had pleaded guilty in January to charges of attempted murder, uttering death threats, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and break and enter.

In a hearing that lasted 15 minutes, Morash’s lawyer sought an adjournment of the sentencing in order for his client to receive a mental assessment. The Crown did not oppose the defence’s request and the justice granted the adjournment of Morash’s sentencing until June 9.

A mental assessment can determine whether a person was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offence and if they can be held criminally responsible for their actions. This assessment is usually requested by the Crown or the accused’s lawyer, after the accused has pleaded guilty or been found guilty after trial. The request is granted if there is enough evidence to suggest they were suffering from a mental disorder during the crime.

Morash is currently being housed at the Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in New Glasgow. But his lawyer requested that Morash be moved to the Central Nova Scotia Correctional facility in Dartmouth.

The correctional facility in Dartmouth is connected to a secure psychiatric hospital. Morash’s lawyer argued that his client needed to be housed there in order to receive a proper mental assessment from a forensic psychiatrist.

Morash was arrested at the 6200 block of North Street in Halifax on the morning of Oct. 28, 2015. Halifax Regional Police responded to an assault in progress after receiving information of an altercation potentially involving a weapon between two men who knew each other. A 54-year-old stabbing victim was taken to hospital by EHS and treated for non-life threatening injuries.