By Bonnie Belec
Whether a St. John’s man was motivated by hate or was mentally ill when he threatened to kill Jews living in Newfoundland is what a judge must determine in the case of Oral Crocker Vrba.
Vrba is charged with threatening to kill both the Hebrew congregation and its president, as well as damaging the property of the Beth-El Synagogue in St. John’s. It is alleged both crimes were motivated by prejudice or hate based on religion, race, colour or origin. The 30-year-old is also charged with uttering threats against a female.
The offences allegedly occurred between October 2002 and April 2004. Vrba has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He admitted to police that he broke the window of the synagogue with his hand in April 2004, that he wrote a letter with threatening comments to a female friend and that, on many occasions, he has told medical staff and police that he hates Jews, as well as the entire human race.
Defence lawyer Peter Ralph is attempting to establish that his client, diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, was not criminally responsible at the time he caused the damage to the synagogue or when he threatened to kill people. According to defence witness Dr. Nizar Ladha, Vrba has had 17 admissions to the Waterford Hospital in St. John’s since 1997. He said it was his opinion that Vrba was incapable of acting rationally when he was arrested for breaking the window at the synagogue and that he was probably very sick at the time.
Dr. Michael Paul, president of the Hebrew congregation, testified Tuesday (Oct. 12) that his first meeting with Vrba was on a Saturday in 2002 in the synagogue while he was waiting to begin the service. “I asked him what he wanted. His first words were, ‘I’m here to murder you. I’m here to finish what Hitler didn’t,’” he said in response to questions by Crown prosecutor Donovan Molloy.
He described Vrba as having a needle through the septum of his nose, and described him as being tall, with a short haircut. He said he didn’t know whether Vrba would attack him with the needle and he felt at risk. Paul said Vrba then told him he wanted to stay for the service. “I was in a state of anxiety. I realized his appearance and what he had said wasn’t normal. I told him the best thing was for him to leave,” he said, which Vrba did.
Paul said Vrba told him he’d be back, and he returned on three more occasions — twice leaving heavy-metal CDs with strange markings and comments behind. The witness told Provincial Court Judge David Orr that the threat made by Vrba caused him great anxiety and conjured up thoughts of the Holocaust and incidents involving the desecration of Jewish sites around the world. He said he hasn’t felt safe in the synagogue since.
Under cross-examination, Ralph asked the witness if he made any observations about Vrba’s state of mind. “I had just been threatened to be killed. I sensed anger, that he was capable of physical harm towards me.... I asked him his name and where he lived, and he answered me in a coherent manner — he wasn’t babbling,” Paul said. He said Vrba knew enough, and was coherent enough, to put on a skullcap when he entered the synagogue.
Ralph asked him about the discussion he had with Vrba about attending the service. “It wasn”t a discussion. It was a question. Maybe he was waiting for more of us to show up so that he could kill all of us together,” Paul stated. He told the court he didn’t hear from Vrba again until months later, when he was called to the synagogue after a window was broken out on April 3, 2004. RNC officer Scott Snelgrove said he responded to that call and found Vrba walking in the vicinity of the synagogue with a large cut on his arm, covered in blood.
Snelgrove said Vrba told him he “punched out” the window. The officer said Vrba ranted the entire time he was in the police car about his hatred for Jews and said he was going to kill all 400 of them in Newfoundland. He said he kept repeating that, and made comments about Hitler. “He was completely irrational and seemed out of touch with reality,” said the officer.
After his arrest, Vrba was sent to the Waterford Hospital where he was examined and treated by Ladha. Ladha, a forensic psychiatrist, said when Vrba arrived he had a high level of energy, was talkative, had rapid thoughts and was delusional. He said Vrba was saying things like he hated Jews and the human race. Ladha said he diagnosed him with bipolar disorder, and at that time he was in the manic phase, psychotic and out of touch with reality.
Ralph asked Ladha his opinion about Vrba’s state of mind when he was admitted April 5. “He was sick at the time and was probably sick for days before. He was probably experiencing disorganized thoughts, he was probably quite ill at the time,” he said.
Ladha said it was his opinion that Vrba was likely suffering from a mental disorder when he committed most of the offences. “It’s my opinion this man has been sick almost continuously (since first admission in 1997) and has had very short periods of wellness. When he’s ill, he expresses hatred towards the Jews and the human race, and when he’s better he’s a gentler person who doesn’t hate anyone,” he said.
This article is reprinted with permission of The (St. John’s) Telegram.
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