Bail denied for Toronto neurosurgeon accused of killing his doctor wife

A judge has denied bail for Mohammed Shamji,theToronto neurosurgeon accused of killing his physician wife.

Justice Michael Brown handed down the decision in a packed room at Superior Court in Toronto onWednesday afternoon. The reasons for Brown's decision are under a publication ban.

Shamji, 40, was clean-shaven and dressed in a grey suit and remainedstoic during more than one hour of court proceedings, including when the judge read out his decision. Members of his family, however, appeared anxious. They did not speak to reporters as they left the courthouse.

Last week, Shamji, 40, appearedat the courthouse at 361 University Ave., along with his lawyers, for a bail review. The details of thoseproceedings are covered by the publication ban.

• Neurosurgeon accused of murdering physician wife seeks bail

The neurosurgeon has been in custody since his arrest in December ona charge offirst-degree murder in the death of his wife,ElanaFric, a Scarborough-basedfamily physician and mother of the couple's three children.

The 40-year-old'sbody was discovered in a suitcase near an underpass in Vaughan, Ont. Shedied from strangulation and blunt-force trauma.

If Shamjihad been granted bail, he would have been unable to return to neurosurgery because heis no longer licensed in Ontario, according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

Shamjinot permitted to practice medicine 'in any capacity'

That would haveincludedconsulting on cases.

Shamjiwas anassistant professor of surgery at the University of Toronto and a staff neurosurgeon with Toronto Western Hospital. Following his arrest,the University Health Network notified the college that hisprivileges were suspended, as of Dec. 5, 2016.

Then, on Aug. 10 of this year, his registration with the college expired.

Should Shamjiever wish to practice again, he would have to apply for a licence and meet all current registration requirements, college spokesperson KathrynClarke said, including that his conduct shows he is "mentally competent to practice medicine" and that he would practice with "decency, integrity and honesty and in accordance with the law."

• Toronto neurosurgeon accused of killing his wife was once charged with assaulting her

Fric metShamjiduring her medical school days at the University of Ottawa while he was there foraneurosurgeryresidency.

Fric'sdeath and her husband's arrest which rocked Ontario's medical community and sparked discussions of domestic violenceis notShamji'sfirst brush with the law.

As CBC Toronto previously reported, he was charged with one count of assault and two counts of uttering death threats in 2005, and Fric was thecomplainant.

In July of that year, the Crown agreed to withdraw the charges in return for apeace bond.