The notice of civil claim states that Mary Hare was inside her room in Salish House in October 2016 when an international student Thamer Hameed Almestadi entered to attack her.
Almestadi was found not criminally responsible for stabbing his fellow UBC student. He has returned to Saudi Arabia after being discharged by the university’s Review Board.
During his trial, the court heard that he had knocked on his 19-year-old victim’s door, slit her throat and started choking her before other students intervened to save her life.
He attacked Hare after listening to a religious recording which led the 20-year-old to believe he was “being tested by God” the Canadian news outlet CBC reported. The victim was a stranger to her attacker as they had never met.
“When she opened her door, he pushed his way in and began stabbing her neck with a knife. During the ensuing struggle, she succeeded in breaking the knife and she tried to use it to defend herself. Her screaming attracted the attention of other residents who eventually separated the two.”
The attacker had been suffering from a “psychotic episode” in which he believed the Quran had sent him a message to kill Hare. But the Review Board panel surprisingly found that Almestadi did not present a significant threat to public safety despite a considerable risk of psychotic relapse.
Hare alleges in the lawsuit filed in BC Supreme Court that UBC failed to install or properly install a peephole or any chains, bars or latches that would allow a door to be opened safely while remaining locked and preventing unwanted entry of potential assailants.
