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An Ontario judge has acquitted a man who chased a Toronto family through the street while naked before tackling, punching and choking a seven-year-old girl, finding he was experiencing cannabis-induced psychosis and was not acting voluntarily.

Ontario Court Justice Mara Greene acquitted the 38-year-old father of three of assault causing bodily harm and assault by choking following the bizarre 2023 attack in North York, according to the Toronto Star.

The man, who had no criminal record, had been home alone vaping a potent cannabis strain called Tiger Blood, purchased legally after a dispensary employee recommended it to him for anxiety.

He later emerged from his home wearing only a towel, which fell off as he chased a family across the street. During the pursuit, he alternately yelled, “I will kill you” and “I will not kill you.”

He eventually threw a seven-year-old girl to the ground and punched and choked her in front of her mother.

“Cases like this one are very difficult for trial judges; [the accused] clearly attacked and hurt a young girl,” Greene said. “This is a serious offence with serious consequences for the victim and her family.”

However, Greene concluded the accused was acting as an automaton, meaning his actions were involuntary because of an extreme state of intoxication.

“I am mindful that this verdict is not satisfying at all to the victims and it’s not satisfying to society in many ways,” Greene acknowledged.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Gary Chaimowitz testified that the accused was suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis and did not appreciate the nature or consequences of his actions.

His behaviour after the attack was also unusual. When police asked whether he wanted a lawyer, he reportedly responded that he wanted actor Neil Patrick Harris.

Crown attorney Ellen An argued the man's actions remained voluntary, pointing out that he complied with police instructions and was able to answer questions after his arrest. Alternatively, the Crown argued he should be found not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.

Greene rejected both arguments.

The case turned in part on Canada's rarely successful defence of extreme intoxication. Following Supreme Court rulings, Parliament amended the Criminal Code in 2022 to allow convictions where a person was criminally negligent in consuming intoxicants before entering an extreme state and harming another person.

Greene found that threshold was not met.

The judge noted the accused had previously consumed cannabis without such a reaction, had legally purchased the product from a registered retailer and had relied on a store employee's recommendation.

“In my view, it was not objectively foreseeable that [the accused] would have such a catastrophic reaction to the cannabis with such catastrophic consequences,” Greene ruled.

The man has no memory of the attack and has reportedly stopped using cannabis. He and his family have since moved away from Toronto.