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Magic mushrooms, not booze, led to student's bizarre attack on MRU professor, says psychologist

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Matthew Brown’s “crazy” behaviour — running around naked in below-freezing temperatures and breaking into strangers’ homes — was likely the product of consuming hallucinogenic magic mushrooms, a psychologist testified Wednesday.

Dr. Thomas Dalby dismissed as “absurd” the notion the former MRU hockey captain’s rampage through a southwest Calgary community was the result of intentional conduct brought on by heavy boozing.

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Crown prosecutor Matt Block suggested Brown minimized his alcohol consumption the night of Jan. 12, 2018, and into the early morning the next day when being assessed by Dalby in an attempt to hide the real reason for his behaviour.

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But Dalby said while minimization is often a sign a patient may be embellishing symptoms, he didn’t see that in Brown’s case.

Block noted the accused told the doctor he had the equivalent of three to five drinks of alcohol and failed to report previously consuming cocaine when interviewed in May 2018.

In his testimony, Brown told court he consumed 15 to 19 drinks and had previously tried cocaine, facts Dalby acknowledged were minimized during his interview.

“Are you now more concerned that Mr. Brown is faking?” Block asked.

“I don’t have that impression at all,” the forensic psychologist said.

Brown, 28, faces two charges of break and enter and an allegation of aggravated assault after he forced his way into two homes in the southwest community of Spring Hill, including the residence of MRU professor Janet Hamnett.

Hamnett, who suffered serious injuries to both her hands and arms when a naked Brown entered her bedroom and repeatedly struck her, had never dealt with him before the attack.

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Block suggested the extreme conduct could have just as easily been the result of alcohol consumption.

“In someone’s house, naked and screaming like an animal? I haven’t (seen it in booze-fuelled behaviour), but you might run in different circles,” Dalby told the prosecutor.

Block challenged the doctor’s conclusion that Brown could not think rationally after consuming magic mushrooms at a friend’s nearby home.

“What about the explanation that Mr. Brown intended this for some other unknown reason,” Block said.

“I don’t accept that,” Dalby replied.

“It’s just as rational to conclude that he intended to do this,” the prosecutor suggested.

“That’s absurd! That he intended to do this? . . . That’s a little outrageous,” Dalby replied.

Dalby told defence lawyer Sean Fagan that the only rational conclusion is that Brown was in a state of delirium triggered by his ingestion of magic mushrooms.

“It’s the only factor that I have in front of me that explains that crazy behaviour, the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms,” he said.

Fagan will ask Justice Michele Hollins to find that Brown suffered a form of non-insane automatism during his rampage and can’t be found criminally liable.

Hollins will hear final submissions Friday.

KMartin@postmedia.com

Twitter: @KMartinCourts

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