A man who pleaded guilty to a brutal attack in Windsor has now been found to be not criminally responsible.
Richard Pillar, 29, of Windsor pled guilty last October to aggravated assault and breach of probation.
But at a hearing on Tuesday, Justice Lloyd Dean found Pillar not criminally responsible for the crime after listening to the testimony of two doctors.
The incident from Sept. 28, 2016 was caught on surveillance video. It shows a man knocked down a woman on Ottawa St. and holding the victim's head while repeatedly stabbing her in the face and eye.
The victim, an 83-year-old woman who was walking to the bank, suffered serious injuries, but survived.
The matter has now been referred to the Ontario Review Board.
Pillar will be kept in a secure facility until the board has a chance to assess him within the next 45 days, and determine what medical treatment is needed going forward.
Assistant Crown attorney Bryan Pillon tells CTV News their main concern is protecting the community, and he feels that has been achieved.
“We have a situation where Mr. Pillar will be treated by some of the best doctors in the province and will only be released in the community when protection of that community can be ensured,” says Pllon. “And it is for those reasons that the Crown has come away from this with the conclusion that indeed the community has been protected in the most optimal way."
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," says Campagna. "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.
