Ottawa man charged in connection with assault on Lethbridge senior found fit to stand trial

Aug 23, 2019 | 1:38 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Ottawa resident Adam Hall Hobkirk-Onate, the 21-year-old man charged in connection with a brutal assault on a 75-year old Lethbridge senior back in May, has been fit to stand trial.

Appearing via CCTV from the Calgary Correctional Centre, an agent for his lawyer, Wade Hlady, asked that the matter be adjourned to Sept. 13 in order to explain the results of a 30-day psychiatric assessment to him. The assessment was ordered in late June, and completed at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre.

Onate is facing three charges, including aggravated assault, housebreaking and disguise with intent.

Case History

On May 22, 2019, Lethbridge Police say they were called to a home in the 3000 blk. of Fairway Street S. after receiving several 9-1-1 calls from neighborhood residents who heard and saw an elderly woman screaming.

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Police say during their investigation they determined that a man had broken into her home on May 21 and spent the night in her basement while she slept upstairs- with no idea the man was there.

The next evening, the woman heard a noise in the basement, went to investigate, and was confronted by a masked male. She was beaten and dragged to the garage where she was hit with a bicycle.

Around 10:40 the same night, in an unrelated matter, police saw a vehicle near 9 Ave. S and 7 St. S. with its headlights turned off. The license plate matched that of a vehicle reported stolen from the senior’s home earlier that night. The driver was pulled over and arrested.

The woman who was beaten was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital and treated for broken bones in her nose, along with other head injuries.

by Lara Fominoff