BURST
A man with “a lengthy history of violence” who was deported from the U.S. back to Guyana in 2005 after being convicted of drug offences, then came to Canada as a refugee and later attacked a stranger in Toronto, is moving towards greater freedoms even though he “continues to represent a significant threat to the public,” according to a recent decision from the Ontario Review Board (ORB).
Delroy Apple — who has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality traits, and a severe amphetamine-type substance use disorder — was found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder in April 2020 for an aggravated assault the summer before that left a stranger in Toronto with multiple stab wounds.
“On July 17, 2019, Mr. Apple was in a convenience store in Toronto when he suddenly attacked the victim, a stranger to him, by shattering two glass bottles from a shelf, wrestling the victim to the floor, and stabbing him multiple (times) with the shattered bottles. Store staff intervened, and the victim was taken to a trauma centre for treatment of stab wounds sustained in the attack,” said the June 25 decision from the independent tribunal that regularly reviews the status of individuals found not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
Apple “has an extensive criminal record beginning in 2005 in New Jersey, when he was convicted of drug charges,” said the decision.
“From 2012 through 2018 he was convicted of 39 criminal offences in Canada. The convictions include, amongst others, sexual assault x2, assault with a weapon, armed robbery, assault peace officer, and multiple convictions for indecent assault, and breaches of probation and recognizance.”
Apple is living at the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby, Ont.
The 47-year-old single man was born in Guyana “where he experienced physical and sexual abuse,” said the ORB decision.
“He moved to Canada in 2003 and lived with relatives. He then moved to the United States and lived with his father” until he was deported two years later.
He returned to Canada in 2010 as a “protected person” based on his LGBTQ classification. He married a woman in 2011, but they separated the following year, said the decision, which notes Apple has been financially supported by the Ontario Disability Support Program since 2014.
When he lived in the community, Apple frequently visited hospital emergency departments for “symptoms of paranoia and psychosis brought on by the use of crystal methamphetamine,” said the decision.
“In 2015 he overdosed on methamphetamine. In 2017, he attempted suicide by walking in front of a streetcar.”
Apple was transferred in August 2024 from Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care to the secure Forensic Rehabilitation Unit at Ontario Shores.
One day after he was “granted indirectly supervised privileges” on Feb. 6, 2025, Apple “eloped” and made his way to New Jersey, said the decision. “He was escorted back to Ontario Shores on February 19, 2025. Upon his return to hospital his off-unit privileges were suspended, but eventually reinstated.”
In May 2025, the ORB said, Apple was still exhibiting “symptoms of his illness including auditory hallucinations” and he “used methamphetamine daily while AWOL from hospital. He experienced an exacerbation of his symptoms, including paranoia, delusions that others were trying to read his mind.”
Last year, the ORB had “serious concerns regarding his medication compliance, limited insight, and elopement risk,” said the decision, which noted Apple was “not suitable for community living” at the time.
While his 2026 hospital report acknowledged those concerns, it recommended continued detention for Apple “with privileges, including community living,” said the decision.
Apple’s risk of violence “has been effectively managed during the last reporting period on a secure forensic unit. In the last year, he has demonstrated consistent engagement in treatment,” it said.
There haven’t been any “recent concerns regarding acute psychotic decompensation, nor evidence of manic or hypomanic episodes,” said the decision. “He continues to report baseline auditory hallucinations, which he describes as non-distressing and comforting. These symptoms have remained stable and are not associated with behavioural disturbance or increased risk. There have been no major incidents, including no episodes of physical aggression, behavioural dysregulation, or attempts to elope. This represents a marked improvement compared to historical presentation.”
Apple’s “continued adherence to pharmacological treatment and sustained abstinence from substances have been central to his clinical stability,” said the decision. “His ongoing engagement in treatment and acceptance of clinical recommendations are positive factors with respect to risk management.”
His psychiatrist testified that Apple’s treatment team has seen “significant improvements” over the last year.
“Thus, the hospital is ‘asking for community living moving forward,’” said the decision.
A “gradual transition to a less secure environment” in a general forensic unit “is clinically appropriate at this time,” said the decision, which notes Apple has been put on a waiting list for just that.
“It is anticipated that he will remain compliant with psychotropic medications after such transfer. His exposure to illicit substances and opportunities to elope will be increased, but the treatment team is optimistic, based on his behaviour during the past reporting period, that he will be able to navigate these challenges successfully.”
The ORB ordered Apple be detained at Ontario Shores, “with privileges up to and including community living.”
He now has grounds privileges but must be accompanied by staff or indirectly supervised.
Apple will be allowed 12-hour passes to travel as much as 150 kilometres from Ontario Shores with an escort.
He could also “live in the community in supervised accommodation approved by the person in charge” of the hospital, said the decision.
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