The lawyer representing an Orléans human resources consultant charged with attempted murder in an attack on a 101-year-old veteran says she will consider asking the court for a referral to a psychiatrist.
Ian Bush made his first court appearance Saturday morning and is due back in court Monday morning, lawyer Geraldine Castle-Trudel said.
Because of the strange circumstances of the case, Castle-Trudel says she may ask for a medical referral.
“It’s very unusual,” she said. “You look at a 59-year old with no criminal record. That’s when you say, wait a minute.”
Typically, people accused of serious violent crime have some criminal records, she said.
Police would not confirm the name of the man charged but in a news release said they had arrested a 59-year-old man on Friday and charged him with attempted murder, robbery with violence, forcible confinement, break and enter and two counts of using a credit card obtained by crime.
The arrest drew a commendation from Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Police say a man broke into the New Edinburgh apartment of Ernest Côté, retired colonel and Second World War veteran, on Thursday morning after pretending to be a City of Ottawa employee. The man tied up Côté, placed a plastic bag over his head and robbed him. Côté was able to free himself and call 911.
The Crown claims that Bush was arrested after police received a tip from a family member, Castle-Trudel said.
On Saturday, a police cruiser was parked outside the Valade Crescent home rented by Bush and his wife, Carrie Mortson, a nurse who works in a seniors’ home. Police were planning to execute a search warrant on the home.
Bush uses the same address for his company, Bush and Associates Consulting. Castle-Trudel confirmed that was the street her client lives on.
Bush has three adult children, who are all listed as directors of his consulting company. He and wife recently became a grandparents for the first time.
Bush “seems friendly and nice,” said next-door neighbour Ron Snow, who added that he was sickened by the description of the attack on Côté.
Reached at his home in Dryden, Ont., Bush’s brother Norm said he had heard nothing about any charges being laid.
“I wouldn’t have associated him with anything like that,” he said.
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Bush’s mother-in-law, Iva Mortson, said hadn’t heard anything from her daughter about an arrest, either.
“He’s a very sweet man,” she said.
After the attack, police released video from the security cameras in Côté’s building and two still images.
One of the pictures shows the suspect with what appear to be the Wine Rack, Booster Juice and Sugar Mountain stores in Place d’Orléans in background, across the mall from a Scotiabank location, suggesting this image may have come from an ATM.
After releasing the images, police say, they received the tip that led to the arrest.
The man in the security camera image bears a strong likeness to pictures associated with Bush’s social media profiles.
Joanne Snow, a neighbour, said she looked at the surveillance camera photo published in the newspaper.
“Yes, that’s him in the picture,” she said.
Brian Robinson worked with Bush for about 15 years in the human resources office at paper company Domtar, in Cornwall, Ont. Robinson said he had given a seminar on human resources training with him about five years ago and hadn’t seen him since.
“He seemed to be doing quite well with his consulting business,” said Robinson, who also ran a consulting firm.
Bush’s wife, Carrie, works the nightshift at Orchard View on the Rideau, a Manotick seniors home.
On Twitter, Bush’s profile says he is involved with “People Productivity Solutions: it’s about delivering long lasting results that improve your organisation’s effectiveness.”
He often tweets about politics and posted a message as recently as 2:54 p.m. on Friday.
On Remembrance Day, Bush’s account tweeted an angry response to a Globe and Mail reporter who noted that people had shouted “thank-you” as a group of veterans marched by.
“Thank-you? For what???” the tweet said. When someone else responded that thanks were deserved for protecting the country’s freedoms, Bush’s account replied, “What nonsense you spew. What freedoms? Spell them out! You believe the propaganda like a little Nazi.”
With files from Darren Brown, Ottawa Citizen
