Case of Laval bus driver accused in deadly daycare crash postponed

The case of a Quebec man accused of driving his city bus into a Laval daycare, killing two children and injuring six others, has been postponed until June 13.

Lawyers say they need more time to review copies of 51-year-old Pierre St-Amand's psychiatric evaluation that was submitted to the court on Wednesday morning.

The 22-page report will be sealed until the accused's next appearance.

St-Amand's lawyer, Julien Lesperance Hudon, requested the evaluation to determine if his client is criminally responsible for the crimes he is accused of.

It will reveal if medical experts think At-Amand was suffering from a mental health disorder at the time of the bus crash that could have rendered him incapable of understanding his alleged actions, or knowing they were wrong.

"There's the medical side and the legal side. It's not because he's found necessarily not criminally responsible regarding a medical expert, that legally he's not responsible. So that's why we have to do some work depending on the decision it is," Lesperance Hudon said at the courthouse after the proceedings.

Psychiatric evaluations usually take 30 days to complete, but this report took more than 60 days before it was submitted. The psychiatrist said he needed more time.

St-Amand, who showed no emotion when he appeared by video conference from the Philippe-Pinel institute, will remain at the psychiatric facility for now but may eventually be moved to a detention centre, according to crown prosecutor Karine Dalphond.

The bus driver has been charged with nine offences, including two counts of first-degree murder.

At a court appearance on February 24, his lawyer said a report determined he was fit to stand trial and able to understand the charges laid against him after undergoing an initial psychiatric evaluation.

With files from CTV News Montreal's Olivia O'Malley and The Canadian Press.