The Supreme Court has ordered a psychiatric assessment for Stephen Hopkins to determine if he should be declared a dangerous offender.

The application for an assessment of Hopkins’ mental state was made by the Crown following his recent conviction for sexually assaulting a teenager in her Cowan Heights home.

It’s the first step toward a dangerous offender designation, which is considered the harshest penalty in Canada because it comes with an undefined prison term and a potential life sentence without parole.

Justice Donald Burrage said today that reports from the RNC, in addition to a previous conviction for sexual assault, satisfied him that at least the mental assessment should proceed, which will ultimately inform the court on next steps.

Given what Hopkins could be facing, Burrage had again urged him to get a lawyer for this stage of his case, advice which Hopkins has now heeded, saying he has reached out to legal aid. Until now, the 31-year-old has been representing himself.

It will take at least a couple of months for the psychiatric report to be completed. The case will be called again on September 14 to review the results.