SASKATOON -- If this dangerous offender hearing doesn’t scare Nathan Stevenson straight, “nothing is going to scare him straight,” Dr. Shabehram Lohrasbe testified on Friday.
Lohrasbe interviewed and assessed Stevenson ahead of his dangerous offender hearing in Saskatoon.
Stevenson pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after an incident involving a minor on Aug. 30, 2017. The victim's identity is protected under a publication ban as is the extent of the victim's injuries. Court records detail Stevenson’s several assault convictions over an 11-year period.
Crown prosecutor Jeff Lubyk asked Lohrasbe what degree of supervision Stevenson would need if he was to be incarcerated. Lohrasbe said he preferred a short jail sentence and a longer term of supervision in the community.
"The need for supervision in constant," he said, adding if Stevenson is released without supervision, he's a high risk to reoffend. The longer Stevenson is on supervision the more easily he can get community treatment if he wants to, Lohrasbe said.
"Consistent maintenance would be helpful.”
Under cross-examination, defence lawyer Patrick McDougall made the court aware of his client's record while incarcerated, pointing to no institutional offences, a fact Lohrasbe confirmed to the court.
Lohrasbe said Stevenson reported suffering from anxiety and depression stemming from factors he experienced in his youth.
"Nothing is more important than how you were raised as a child," Lohrasbe said.
The Crown is close to wrapping up its case for a dangerous offender designation. The hearing has been adjourned until Tuesday.
