Accused in truck attack on London Ont. family suffered from multiple mental illnesses

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

Nathaniel Veltman, 22, is on trial in a Windsor, Ont. court for the June 2021 truck attack on the Afzaal family.

Grandmother Talat, her son Salman, his wife Madiha and their teenage daughter Yumnah all died after suffering multiple trauma injuries. Their nine-year-old son suffered serious but survivable injuries.

The family was struck by a pickup truck driven by Veltman while they waited to cross the intersection of Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road in London.

Veltman has pleaded not guilty to four counts of terrorism-motivated first-degree murder and one count of terrorism-motivated attempted murder.

 

MENTAL HEALTH IN FOCUS

Thursday’s evidence focused on Veltman’s mental illnesses as defence witness Dr. Julian Gojer testified.

He interviewed Veltman on numerous occasions both in jail as well as during an in-patient visit to the Royal Ottawa Hospital.

Gojer diagnosed Veltman with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), persistent depressive disorder, personality disorder and complex trauma (a lesser form of post traumatic stress disorder).

The doctor told the jury he believes Veltman developed a “trauma kind of response” to his upbringing in a strict, home-schooled household.

Gojer explained "being picked on, unable to understand why restrictions were placed on him and he had to cope with the attitude and views that his mother had."

The doctor also believes Veltman has a “distorted” world view that he was more enlightened than everyone else.

Although the doctor testified Veltman suffered from psychotic episodes, he does not believe Veltman was in a psychotic state at the time of the offences.

Gojer said these issues are all relevant to explain "How did this person get to this point, where he killed four people and nearly killed a fifth person?" and "Did it happen in vacuum? Where did the views come from?"

 

IMPACT OF PSILOCYBIN USAGE

A portion of Gojers’ evidence is about the impact of psilocybin — a hallucinogenic commonly known as magic mushrooms — on Veltman’s mental illnesses.

Gojer told the jury that depending on how much is consumed, a psilocybin high can last “generally” for four to six hours.

The jury has previously heard evidence Veltman consumed three grams of psilocybin around 3 a.m. on June 5, 2021, the day before the attack.

He testified the affect of the drug can vary between people, based on a wide range of things.

Gojer told the jury if a person is happy when they consume the drug they might have a good “ride” but if they are sad, depressed or struggling mentally they might have a bad “trip.”

He also testified there isn’t a lot of research on how long it takes for the drug to fully leave the body, and said it could be days, weeks or months.

Veltman previously testified he felt like he was in a “dream-like state” until June 8, 2021 — two days after the attack.

Gojer’s evidence is expected to continue Friday.