Nicholas Layman fit to stand trial over Topsail soccer stabbing

Nicholas Layman, who is accused of stabbing an 11-year-old boy on a soccer field near St. John's in September, has been found fit to stand trial for attempted murder.

A provincial court judge made the decision Thursday.

On the request of defence lawyer Joan Dawson, Layman will be remanded to the Waterford Hospital so that he can remain fit for trial, rather than be sent to jail.

Dawson said a lawyer can request that a client remain in a psychiatric unit while a case is in court, if mental fitness has been an ongoing issue.

Layman, who is 19, has been undergoing a psychiatric assessment since he was arrested soon after a stabbing Sept. 25 during a skills-training exercise at a field in the Topsail neighbourhood of Conception Bay South.

Dawson said a change in mental status isn't unheard of in ongoing court cases.

"In general, fitness is an ongoing issue for all individuals. I have had trials where I have been in the middle of a trial when someone has become unfit for various reasons," she said.

"The issue of fitness was before the court again, and whatever lawyer is involved will ask that another fitness assessment be done to ensure that the person is able to participate in their own court processes that affect them."

He will return to court on Jan. 8.

The boy who was stabbed has recovered from his injuries, and was released from hospital about two weeks after the incident, whichmade national headlines. He cannot be named because of a publication ban.

In an interview with CBC News earlier this month, Layman's parents spoke candidly about his history with mental illness, and said that he had refused to take the medication he had been prescribed.

"It was utter shock," stepmother Doreen Layman said in an interview.

"Total disbelief and utter shock that he would hurt somebody. That's not our child."