A St. John’s man charged with attempting to poison another man days before he is alleged to have tried to murder him by pushing him over a cliff — has been released from custody.
Masih Allahbakhshi, 29, was released by provincial court Judge Lori Marshall Tuesday morning, after a bail hearing that lasted more than five days.
Allahbakhshi, who was required to have a new surety before he could be released, is under the same conditions placed on him when he was released on the attempted murder charge last year, with one new one: he’s banned from working or volunteering in any capacity involving the preparation or serving of food or drink to the public.
This means the MUN engineering PhD student will have to give up his job at Starbucks.
Allahbakhshi was first arrested last April and charged with attempted murder after he allegedly tried to push a fellow MUN student over a cliff on Signal Hill while the pair were walking. The two men fell down about 20 feet and the victim received minor injuries.
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Bail hearing continues for student charged with attempted poisoning in St. John’s
After a seven-day psychiatric assessment, Allahbakhshi was found fit to stand trial on the attempted murder charge. He pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled to start Feb. 12.
The newest charge of attempting to administer a noxious thing with the intent to harm a person or endanger their life stems from an incident that occurred four days before the Signal Hill event. Allahbashkhi is accused of trying to poison the same man by giving him prescription medication.
Allahbashkhi was arrested for the most recent charge Jan. 5. He wasn't charged earlier because police investigators were waiting for forensic test results, police told The Telegram.
Other conditions of his release from custody include that he turn in his passport, adhere to a curfew, and sign in at RNC headquarters multiple times each week.
Allahbashkhi was banned from MUN campus after he was charged with attempting to murder the other student, though he is still considered to be working towards his doctorate at the university.
It’s unknown whether or not Crown prosecutor Jude Hall will seek to have Allahbashkhi’s charges joined in court proceedings.
Twitter: @tara_bradbury
