Court Orders Mental Exam for Man Who Attacked Muslim Lawmaker in Connecticut
The man, Andrey Desmond, 30, faces several charges, including attempted sexual assault, for attacking state Rep. Maryam Khan, a Democrat from Windsor, who was celebrating Eid al-Adha with her family at Hartford's XL Center. Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival that marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
Desmond's public defender requested the mental health exam, claiming he doubts his client can comprehend the situation and help with his defense, Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Desmond, who has a history of mental illness and was under intensive monitoring in New York three years ago, is due back in court on Feb. 1 after the evaluation.
Khan, who attended the court hearing, said she and her family, including her 15-year-old daughter, were taking photos outside the arena when Desmond approached them and said he wanted to have sex with one of them.
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She said she suffered a concussion and injured her arm and shoulder in the scuffle.
Two bystanders caught and restrained Desmond until the police arrived and arrested him.
Khan criticized the state of the mental health system, saying: “Our mental health system is very broken.”
Back in July, the prosecutor did not file hate crime allegations demanded by the lawmaker's supporters.
“It continues to be a mystery to me why the state isn’t bringing bias crimes in this type of incident,” said Farhan Memon, chairman of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Having this charged as a bias crime sends a message out to the rest of the population that this is going to be something that’s dealt with seriously.”
Source: Agencies
