Veltman testifies: Religion played a 'big role' in early childhood

WARNING: The video and the details in this article may be disturbing to some viewers

Nathaniel Veltman, 22, is testifying in his own defence in a Windsor, Ont. Courtroom.

He’s charged with four counts of terrorism-motivated first-degree murder and one count of terrorism-motivated attempted murder for the June 2021 attack on a Muslim family in London.

Defence lawyer Christopher Hicks started his questions with Veltman’s childhood.

Veltman has a twin sister and has a total of five siblings.

He was born in London and raised in Strathroy, on a rural property on the outskirts of town.

Veltman said he did kindergarten at a Christian nursery school but then was home-schooled by his mother until Grade 11.

“Religion played a big role” in his life, Veltman told the jury Thursday while describing his mother as “extreme” in her religious beliefs. “She didn’t know I had mental issues or that I had autism,” Veltman said.

He told the jury if he questioned his mother or disobeyed her, he would be spanked. Punishments he said got more frequent as he grew up.

“I had to learn to keep my resentments inside,” Veltman said. “The resentment started to build to the point where I started loathing her [his mother], hating her.”

Veltman said they weren’t allowed to socialize with anyone who was secular, were forbidden from playing organized sports and couldn’t even “hang out” with cousins.

Veltman recalled being “traumatized” as a seven year old, when his mother showed him pictures of “people burning in hell.”

Veltman is the first witness to be called by the defence.

Earlier in the morning, Hicks told the jury they also intend to call Dr. Julian Gojer, a forensic psychologist to provide “compelling evidence” about mental health issues including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, psychosis and complex trauma.

“Most importantly” Hicks said, Dr. Gojer will offer evidence about the impact of hallucinogenic substances on Veltman’s mental state the day of the murders.

On June 6, 2021, five members of a Muslim family were struck by a pickup truck while waiting to cross a street in London, Ont.

Talat, Salman, Madiha and Yumnah Afzaal all died. Their nine-year-old son was seriously injured but survived.

The jury has previously heard evidence where Veltman admitted he struck them and he told police his actions were motivated by extremist views.

He also describes himself as a “white nationalist.”