Allan Schoenborn appears before B.C. Review Board seeking additional freedoms

Allan Schoenbornappeared before the B.C. Review Board on Thursday to seek additional freedoms.

Schoenbornwas convicted of killing his three children, aged five to 10, in a Merritt, B.C., trailer home in 2008. He was found not criminally responsible for the crime in 2010.

An earlier trial found Schoenborn was experiencing psychosis at the time of the killings and believed he was saving his children from sexual and physical abuse.

He is currently being held at theForensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., and is allowed escorted visits into the community.In 2017,a B.C. Supreme Court justice ruled he did not meet the criteria for the high-risk accused designation.

Schoenborn'slawyer is asking for limited staff-supported community outings with provisions.

'Mr.Schoenbornis improving'

At the hearing,Dr. Marcel Hediger, Schoenborn's treating physician for the last six years, described his patient's current condition as improved.

"Mr. Schoenborn is improving and is in a better condition today than he was a year ago," Hedigersaid.

However, he said Schoenbornshould show further improvement before getting staff supported community outings. He noted Schoebornis not good at identifying emotions in others and one of his coping mechanisms is to go on the offensive.

Hediger suggested Schoeborn might not be able to properly manage himself if a community member recognized him and reacted negatively during a community outing.

The BCRBdecision has been reserved.