[color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]Howard Shore tells court he’s battling mental health issues[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]Markham Councillor Howard Shore pleaded guilty to possession of an iPhone stolen from a health club locker and told a judge Friday that he’s doing his best to battle personal issues.[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]“There are things that I have to do for my own personal benefit, health benefit, for the rest of my life,†Shore told Justice Howard Chisvin in a soft, barely audible voice.[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]His lawyer, Edward Prutschi, told court that Shore sought treatment for depression and anxiety last fall, even before he was charged with stealing an iPhone from a closed locker at a health club.[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]That includes working with his family doctor, a psychiatrist and social worker and taking prescribed medication, Prutschi said.[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]Prutschi had sought an absolute discharge after Shore registered his guilty plea to possession of property not worth over $5,000 that was obtained by an offence. The stolen phone was valued at $650.[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]Crown Attorney Paul Tait asked for a conditional sentence and six months’ probation.[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]Chisvin did not pass a sentence and said he will re-evaluate his options when Shore reappears in court on Feb. 22 to give a progress report on his therapy.[/color]
[/color][color=rgb(52, 52, 52)]The case was dealt with in community treatment court, a special courtroom designed for criminal defendants with mental health or substance abuse problems.[/color]
