Inmate who died in custody in Saskatoon had a history of self harm: Court records
An inmate in the Regional Psychiatric Centre died while in custody on Saturday.
Tommy Veevee was serving an indeterminate sentence in the Saskatoon facility since November 1998, according to a Correctional Service of Canada news release.
His next of kin have been notified, as well as the police and the Saskatchewan coroner, the news release said.
Veevee was deemed a dangerous offender after his conviction for two sexual assaults in 1997 around the village of Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut located on Baffin Island.
The 1999 sentencing documents from Judge B.A. Browne outline a litany of other sexual offences committed by Veevee beginning in the 1980s, some resulting in earlier convictions, others documented in testimony submitted to the court.
Veevee began struggling with schizophrenia in about 1985, Browne says.
The judge references health records from 1986 to about 1994 that outline "how little progress has been made in addressing Mr. Veevee's social and psychiatric problems."
Veevee was described as a challenging patient with little sense of personal boundaries.
In January 1994 one doctor said he posed a risk to society.
“I might add that the federal prison service, for the most part, although they try valiantly, are ill-prepared to treat profoundly disturbed schizophrenics who are both intellectually low functioning and who have deviant sexual problems as well. To be fair, no one is very successful with this very difficult group of people. There is, however, no other acceptable situation as society is greatly at risk from this disturbed young man.”
For his part, Veevee frequently expressed remorse for his actions but seemed unable to follow the course of treatment recommended by doctors, Browne said, and he often tried to take all his medication at once in order to end his life.
He tried to kill himself nearly 60 times, Browne says.
Browne says they opted to designate Veevee a dangerous offender because it meant an indeterminate sentence, and they felt that was the only way to make sure Veevee would receive the long-term treatment he needed, and have his medications controlled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'