'Not safe in my own city': Video shows attack by stranger in Toronto as judge predicts he will reoffend

One of the victims of a man who attacked a trio of women out of the blue on Toronto streets and on the city’s transit says she can’t believe how little the justice system is doing to rehabilitate her attacker — and the judge in the case appears to agree with her.

Nicky Lightstone told CTV News it’s unacceptable that the man convicted of breaking her nose in a surprise attack as she walked her dog in January will be treated like any other offender despite his homelessness and untreated mental illnesses — and worries that she won’t be the last victim.

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“I was shocked, I couldn’t believe this happened to me,” she said. “You don’t feel safe in your own city. There were major feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness.”

The judge in the case, David Rose, appeared to throw up his hands in frustration at the lack of options presented to him for a complex case that needs proper supervision after 36-year-old Lionel Williams gets out of jail.

“I find that Mr. Williams’ prospects for rehabilitation are minimal. He shows little to no insight into his behaviour. His reluctance to get help for his psychological issues lead me to find that Mr. Williams is at a high risk to re-offend – and violently re-offend,” Rose wrote in his decision.

Rose sentenced Williams to 12 months in custody less the seven months the man had served waiting trial. Williams pleaded guilty to the three attacks. He was self-represented.

At his sentencing hearing, the court viewed a video of one attack in December 2022, where a woman wearing a white jacket is hit and pushed into traffic.

The attacker, a man in a camouflage coat, runs off, while the woman scrambles back to the sidewalk. She didn’t need medical attention but might have if a car hit her. Judge Rose of the Ontario Court of Justice called the video “disturbing.”

Lionel Williams is seen in this undated surveillance video.

Rose said in a decision that those crimes were just the most recent in a 15-year-long list, including 25 assaultive behaviours and 23 failures to comply with court orders.

“Mr. Williams has been assaulting people regularly and continuously for over 15 years. Reading the criminal record it would appear that he is continuously in and out of custody,” the judge wrote.

“Mr. Williams is homeless, has schizophrenia, and acts out violently toward strangers. He has generally little ability to comply with the Court orders meant to keep the public safe and rehabilitate him. What is needed is a more robust supervision and help program for those offenders who have some combination of a history of violence, mental health challenges, homelessness and substance abuse issues. Currently all that is available is regular probation,” he wrote.

In one case in November, one woman was punched in Dundas subway station. Williams was identified through video surveillance and arrested and released on a promise to appear in court.

But just days later, Williams attacked another woman on Dundas Street, punching her in the head and causing her to fall into a live lane of traffic.

Then in January 2023, Lightstone was attacked. Williams was arrested again and this time remained in custody.

Rose pointed to a B.C. study on random attacks that recommended several changes to the justice system there including teams to manage complicated cases and prevent reoffending.

“It is not for a judge of the Ontario Court to suggest policy to the government to tackle random stranger attacks in the community. Municipalities, legislatures and Parliament are well suited to take up that task. It is their role. I encourage them to take up the task quickly,” he wrote.

Lightstone said she doesn’t think Williams needs punishment, he needs care.

“The individual who assaulted me has been homeless for 50 per cent of his life. There needs to be ways to divert people from the streets. There needs to be changes to the system to allow individuals to succeed. This person doesn’t need punishment, he needs care,” Lightstone said.

She pointed to Ontario’s Justice Centres, which are pilot projects that “hold individuals accountable for their offences while connecting them to services such as health, mental health, addictions, housing and employment supports that reduce the risk of re-offending”, according to a description on the Ontario government’s website.

Established in 2021, there are only four such centres and they have limited capacity and only apply to a limited area, for which Williams was apparently not eligible.