A man accused of stabbing a Catholic bishop in the neck with a pen, then beating him with various items from a church rectory, will remain in a psychiatric institution for at least two more weeks.
John Bandura, 30, sat calmly and quietly as he appeared in provincial court in Kamloops on Thursday via video link from an institution in the Lower Mainland.
Experts have finished an assessment of the man’s mental fitness to stand trial, but the report has not yet been put before the court for consideration.
A man walked into Sacred Heart Cathedral in Kamloops on Oct. 22, asked to see a priest, then brutally attacked David Monroe, 69, the bishop of the Kamloops Catholic diocese in the church rectory.
Police notes from the night of the attack quote Bandura as saying: “(The bishop) said he couldn’t help me, so I stabbed him in the throat and I drank it because I needed a pick-me-up.”
It has not been made clear whether the implication is that he drank Bandura’s blood.
Bandura is charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and mischief stemming from the vicious attack.
The priest is still recovering in hospital.
Defence lawyer Michelle Stanford said her client might seek bail when he appears again in court on Dec. 6.
At Bandura’s first court appearance, a Crown lawyer said Bandura had been brought to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops by family members concerned about his deteriorating mental health. The man has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was known to self-medicate with LSD, the court heard. He was also on mood stabilizers.
Staff reported he became restless in the evening and broke through a glass door, severely cutting himself.
Bandura was found hiding in a shed on his father’s property.