A man who was briefly held in White Rock's hospital two years ago in connection with criminal harassment of women he believed were his "spiritual brides" has had his appeal of an order to remain in custody at a psychiatric hospital dismissed.
In reasons for judgment posted online July 17, B.C. Court of Appeal Justices Peter Voith, Gail Dickson and Karen Horsman upheld a Jan. 8, 2024 decision of the B.C. Review Board to remand Peter Janin Bentley at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.
The review board had reasoned that Bentley "continued to express problematic and delusional beliefs and lacked insight into his illness."
On appeal, Bentley argued the custodial order was unreasonable.
According to the judgment, Bentley was found "NCRMD" 鈥� not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder 鈥� on Sept. 20, 2023, on two counts of criminal harassment related to offences that occurred between November 2020 and July 2022 against a woman and her father. (The victims' identities are protected by a publication ban.)
He was initially released on bail pending the disposition hearing by the board.
The offences, the BCCA judgment notes, are part of a 25-year history between the parties, through which Bentley, 47, "has stalked, harassed and threatened" the victim.
The pair met when Bentley was 21 and the victim was 18, it continues. Following a brief romantic relationship, Bentley was handed a one-year peace bond; court-ordered not to contact the woman, following a report that he'd threatened her.
Bentley believed he and the woman "had a biblical marriage and were married in the eyes of God," the judgment states.
He was ultimately diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and delusional disorder with underlying narcissistic personality traits, and prescribed antipsychotic medication. The review board continued to order Bentley be held in custody.
In 2012, he was conditionally discharged into the community 鈥� again, with a no-contact order 鈥� and was absolutely discharged two years later.
Bentley came back on the radar in 2016, after he stopped taking his medication and began engaging in disruptive behaviours including "street preaching." In 2018, he resumed attempts to contact the victim and her father, resulting in a criminal charge.
Two years later, the harassment began anew, with Bentley going so far as to follow one victim overseas. In travels to Israel and Chile between November 2021 and April 2022, Bentley "harassed other women he believed were his 'spiritual brides,'" the judgment states.
Online, he posted hundreds of disturbing videos in which he detailed thoughts of killing women he fixated on, "committing mass killings, raping and killing children, and wanting to die," the judgment continues.
Bentley was detained at White Rock's hospital when he returned to Canada in June 2022, arrested the following month, and released in August 2022. He was discharged from a residential psychological treatment program in October 2022 and went to live with his elderly parents in Vancouver until the September 2023 verdict.
Describing the chronology of events as "necessarily abbreviated," the judgment notes 20 pages provided by the attorney general further detail "deeply concerning actions and history."
Evidence heard by the review board included a psychiatrist's opinion that Bentley's behaviour was "escalating," and that "the threat Mr. Bentley poses towards women he fixates on was significant as was the psychological harm he has caused."
Bentley testified that his behaviours were due to not taking his medication, the judgment states. He expressed regret at harassing his victims and pledged to comply with conditions, but also stated that he felt there was "a possibility" he was still married "in the eyes of God" to his first victim.
The judgment notes the review board 鈥� in addition to concerns with Bentley's delusional beliefs and problematic behaviours 鈥� had concerns with whether Bentley's family could reliably monitor and report his online behaviour and manage his risk to the public, and deemed that a custodial order was necessary to mitigate that risk, the judgment states.
The review board described the disposition created for Bentley as the start of a "slow and cautious" reintegration. It allows, at the director's discretion, for escorted and unescorted access to the community for periods of up to 28 days.
While Bentley submitted his detention was unreasonable, judges found it "acceptable and defensible."
The board's disposition is reviewable in 12 months, the judgment notes.
