Warning: This story includes offensive language.
Before Jonathan Lewis was charged in the death of his father — Teenage Head guitarist Gord Lewis — he was convicted of harassment, had a background of messaging individuals all over the city and, according to his lawyer, lived with psychological health troubles.
Gord, the 65-calendar year-old guitarist of the renowned Hamilton punk rock band, was observed dead on Aug. 7 in his condominium.
Law enforcement verified the subsequent day Jonathan, 41, had been billed with 2nd-degree murder.
Though the charge has not been analyzed in courtroom, it has prompted folks who observed Jonathan wrestle with his mental health to reflect on no matter if he wanted more guidance or intervention.
Larissa Fedak, Jonathan’s attorney, mentioned the scenario is tragic, but there are nonetheless several questions about how Gord died.
“Everyone’s jumping to specified conclusions and that’s uncommon,” she stated. “Maybe due to the fact of the standing of his father or just because he was form of recognised in our group … he’s innocent right until proven guilty.”
Brian Lewis, 1 of Gord’s brothers, declined to comment, but earlier claimed the family was “devastated and conflicted” for the reason that “it can be the decline of a beloved brother and a incredibly challenging problem.”
Accused was convicted in advance of
Many research, including a 2013 review from the American Public Health and fitness Affiliation, show men and women with diagnosed psychological problems not often dedicate violent acts.
In Jonathan’s situation, he was regarded to have sent insulting and seemingly threatening e-mail and social media messages to men and women, a lot of in Hamilton, above a collection of at the very least eight many years.
A chain of incoherent e-mails from accounts with the identify Jonathan Lewis ended up despatched to numerous media stores on Aug. 7 and led somebody to method the police.
“Funeral persons will need to get here brief. My Father is starting to decay,” study aspect of the e mail on Aug. 7, which CBC Hamilton employees also been given.
It wasn’t the first time behaviour joined to Jonathan has led to phone calls to police.
CBC Hamilton news personnel filed a law enforcement report around 2019, soon after Jonathan sent emails perceived to be threatening to a former reporter. He experienced also frequented the newsroom hunting for that reporter, banging aggressively on the front windows. No fees had been laid.
Court documents demonstrate Jonathan was billed and convicted for sending Matthew Inexperienced, a previous town councillor and now Hamilton Centre MP, messages that would bring about the politician to “moderately, in all situation, fear for his protection” around a two-7 days time period in 2017.
Jonathan received a suspended sentence and three decades of probation.
Fedak reported she also represented Jonathan back in 2012 more than a “modest” incident, and stated in this circumstance, “psychological health and fitness unquestionably is a variable.”
‘It freaks you out’
Right after the expenses relating to Gord’s demise had been laid in August, CBC Hamilton spoke to a number of people today who reported they contacted police in the past about Jonathan.
Hamilton police stated Jonathan was recognized to police, but wouldn’t give specific details about someone’s felony record and wouldn’t answer other issues as the scenario is ahead of the courts.
Laura Farr, a previous city staff member who is now running for Ward 3 councillor in the Oct. 24 municipal election, stated in November 2017 she and a lot of others gained harassing emails and Facebook messages from Jonathan.
One particular apparent concept, seen by CBC Hamilton, appears to show him telling her he hoped she would stop up in a romance with a male who would abuse her and finish her “f***ing life.”
Farr mentioned she noted it to law enforcement but no rates had been laid.
Farr explained law enforcement thanked her for the report, but she mentioned their reaction was not adequate to make her truly feel protected.
“I don’t know if extra could’ve been carried out, but much more should’ve been carried out,” she stated.
Jamie Tennant, a community author and the program director at 93.3 CFMU-FM at McMaster University, reported he claimed Jonathan to law enforcement in excess of threatening messages he acquired.
“It freaks you out,” he stated in a cellphone job interview with CBC Hamilton.
Tennant stated the messages started out in 2014 immediately after Jonathan reportedly had an argument with a host at the radio station. In 2016, Tennant sent a four-website page letter to law enforcement, outlining apparent messages and behaviours by Jonathan.
The letter and some of the messages in it have been seen by CBC Hamilton, and appear to involve threats to shoot up the radio station and veiled threats toward Tennant and his relatives.
“Do not perform Teenage Head on CFMU. I will come down there and I will [go to] jail to confirm my level,” browse one clear information from late December in 2015.
Tennant reported he went to police various occasions about Jonathan. No prices had been laid.
“I was in no way updated on what took place really, but I do think they went by his location when after my very first criticism to inform him to allow it go,” he informed CBC Hamilton.
Const. Indy Bharaj claimed in a cellular phone interview that police couldn’t charge Jonathan with harassment in 2016 because “there was so considerably back and forth among Tennant and Lewis.”
He mentioned law enforcement spoke to Jonathan and he agreed not to make contact with Tennant again. Bharaj also claimed police remaining Tennant a voicemail following striving to speak to him.
Previous behaviour uncovered ‘systemic problem’
Farr and Tennant claimed they the two feel the scenario highlights gaps in the justice program and psychological health supports.
“It truly is undoubtedly a systemic dilemma. For a extended time, I was indignant with law enforcement … but now I can’t assist but think it truly is bigger than that,” Tennant claimed, “that they sincerely ended up looking at what was happening and saying, ‘There’s actually nothing at all we can do.’
“It strikes me as very strange he couldn’t have been served,” Tennant stated.
Fedak, Jonathan’s law firm, claimed it really is often simpler in hindsight to say extra could have been performed, and extra numerous people act in methods people allege Jonathan acted.
She stated some men and women, for example, can be delusional, but however do working day-to-day capabilities and articulate their inner thoughts.
“It is really a judgment contact by each and every of those professionals, and 95 per cent of the time, they do the right detail. It can be a few people today who really don’t appear that undesirable who then go to do one thing really tragic,” she mentioned.
Fedak was not equipped to validate what kind of mental health and fitness supports Jonathan been given over the several years. It is also unclear no matter whether his preceding suspended sentence and several years of probation were tied to any kind of psychological health programs or supports.
Daniel Brown, a legal defence lawyer and president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Affiliation, also said folks encountering mental wellbeing challenges are routinely pushed by means of the justice program.
Brown, who has no involvement with the situation, seen some messages sent to Tennant that ended up allegedly written by Jonathan, and stated law enforcement would have had ample to lay rates — but it is unclear what that would achieve.
“All the courts could’ve carried out is held him accountable for that action, but someone who is dealing with psychological health issues is just not heading to locate the assistance they have to have in the prison justice process,” he explained.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has a forensic psychiatry software that offers mental health and fitness aid for men and women who are located not criminally liable for a crime owing to their psychological wellbeing, and for persons not in good shape to stand demo.
Software head Dr. Gary Chaimowitz informed CBC Hamilton that people with mental overall health issues who do not qualify for that precise application would have accessibility to other providers, but the psychological health program is under “an amazing sum of pressure.”
Fedak, talking in common terms and not about Jonathan, stated the pandemic has also created a “great storm” for individuals who have severe psychological wellbeing troubles and will not have a felony history.
Brown said there are some alternatives, like mental health and fitness diversion packages, which see persons have their fees dropped if they entire cure, but those people programs are optional.
He explained there is certainly a deficiency of consciousness of such plans, and a deficiency of funding and availability for them, as well as accessibility troubles, specified the courses ended up distant all through the pandemic.
Brown extra there have been cuts to legal help, which also would make it tougher to access these products and services, and the justice procedure alone is “in disaster.”
“It is really going to choose some type of community acknowledgement to resolve it because the governments absolutely aren’t motivated to fund it,” Brown stated.
“It can be crumbling beneath our ft and right right before our eyes, and one thing requirements to be performed in a drastic way to make improvements to the predicament.”
