A judge has postponed the sentencing of a Toronto man who stabbed three people in the wake of his daughter’s disappearance two years ago.

After Vakhtang Makhniashvili twice interrupted his hearing Tuesday to say he was pressured into pleading guilty, Judge Rebecca Rutherford put the hearing over to Thursday.

Makhniashvili can then dismiss his lawyer Calvin Barry as he requested in court, continue with his sentencing or ask for a hearing to strike his guilty pleas.

The Crown believes the pleas were genuine and said Makhniashvili was asked if they were voluntary when they were entered in May.

Earlier in the day, Makhniashvili had jumped up and told the court he must discharge Barry, adding that he was sleep-deprived and given drugs against his will.

The Crown had just finished telling the court that psychiatrist Julian Gojer could not reach a conclusive diagnosis, but he believes Makhniashvili suffers from a major illness certifiable under the Mental Health Act.

Prosecutors had also recommended he undergo more psychological testing to determine whether he posed a danger to himself or the public.

Makhniashvili was charged with three counts of aggravated assault for attacking his neighbour and a married couple who had acted as his legal surety.

In the first incident in May 2010, Makhniashvili stabbed his neighbour Sean Ure during a noise dispute and was later charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, forcible entry and four counts of threatening bodily harm.

A couple Makhniashvili had never met, David Langer and his wife Delores, posted his $50,000 bail.

But Makhniashvili soon learned the Langers were actually private investigators who had taken an interest in his daughter’s disappearance.

He attacked the couple outside their Greenwood Avenue home in November 2010 and then turned himself in to police.  

Mariam Makhniashvili was 17 years old when she disappeared on her way to high school in September 2009. She hasn’t been found.

With files from Marianne Boucher