A man who was briefly detained at White Rock Hospital in 2022 has been sent back to a psychiatric hospital.
A man who was briefly detained at White Rock Hospital two years ago for his role in the criminal harassment of women he believed to be his “spiritual brides” has lost his appeal against an order for his continued detention in a psychiatric hospital.
In reasons for their decision published online July 17, Justices Peter Voigt, Gail Dixon and Karen Hosemann of the BC Court of Appeal upheld the BC Provincial Review Board’s decision on Jan. 8, 2024, to commit Peter Janine Bentley to a forensic psychiatric hospital.
The panel found that Bentley “continued to express problematic delusional beliefs and lacked insight into his illness.”
On appeal, Mr Bentley argued that the detention order was unjust.
According to the ruling, Bentley was found “NCRMD” (not criminally responsible due to mental disorder) on Sept. 20, 2023, for two counts of criminal harassment related to crimes committed against the woman and her father between November 2020 and July 2022. (The victim’s identity is protected by a publication ban.)
He was initially released on bail pending a dispositional hearing by the commission.
The BCCA’s ruling noted the offences were part of a 25-year history between the parties, during which Bentley, 47, “stalked, harassed and intimidated” the victim.
It goes on to say that the pair met when Bentley was 21 and the victim was 18. After a brief romantic relationship, Bentley was given a one-year bail sentence and court-ordered not to contact the woman after reports he had threatened her.
According to the ruling, Bentley believed he and the woman were “biblically married and married in the eyes of God.”
Bentley was eventually diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and delusional disorder with underlying narcissistic personality traits and was prescribed antipsychotic medication. The review board ordered that he remain in custody.
In 2012, he was again given a no-contact order and conditionally released back into society, and was fully discharged two years later.
Bentley was arrested again in 2016 after he stopped taking his medication and began engaging in disruptive behavior, including “street preaching,” and was charged with a crime in 2018 after attempting to contact the victim and her father.
Two years later, the harassment began again, with Bentley even following one of his victims overseas. According to the verdict, between November 2021 and April 2022, Bentley traveled to Israel and Chile where he “harassed other women who he believed to be his ‘spiritual brides.'”
The verdict said he posted hundreds of disturbing videos online detailing his thoughts of killing women he was obsessed with, as well as his desire to “commit mass murder, rape and murder children and die.”
Bentley was detained at White Rock Hospital upon his return to Canada in June 2022, arrested the following month and released in August 2022. He was released from the residential psychological treatment program in October 2022 to live with his elderly parents in Vancouver until his sentencing in September 2023.
The ruling said the timeline of events was “necessarily abbreviated” and noted the 20 pages provided by the attorney general contained further details of “deeply concerning conduct and history.”
Evidence heard by the panel included a psychiatrist’s opinion that Mr Bentley’s behaviour had “escalated” and that “the threat to the women he was obsessed with was significant, as was the psychological harm he had caused”.
According to the ruling, Bentley testified that his actions were due to him not taking his medication. He regretted harassing the victim and vowed to abide by the terms, but also said he felt he could still be married to the first victim “in the eyes of God.”
The ruling said the panel was concerned about Bentley’s delusional beliefs and problematic behaviour, as well as whether his family would be able to ensure that he monitored and reported his online behaviour and manage the risk to the public, and determined that a protection order was necessary to mitigate that risk.
The panel described Bentley’s suspension as the first step towards a “slow and careful” reintegration into society, which will allow him to return to the community, unchaperoned or unattended, for up to 28 days, at the discretion of the prison warden.
Bentley argued his detention was unjustified but the judge found it “acceptable and defensible”.
The ruling noted that the commission’s action may be reviewed within 12 months.
