12.15.2009

man found guilty in "nip-tipping" assault

In Newmarket, just outside of Toronto, a man has been found guilty of assault and criminal negligence in a 2007 attack on a group of fishermen that left one of them confined to a wheelchair: Guilty verdict in Asian angler assault case.

A jury convicted Trever Middleton, a professional motorcycle racer, on all six charges he faced. Middleton had tried to run a car carrying a group of Asian fishermen and their friends off the road early in the morning of September 16, 2007, after the fishermen were pushed into Lake Simcoe.

The car hit a tree, leaving one of its occupants, Shayne Berwick, with severe head injuries. He is now confined to a wheelchair with permanent brain damage:
The family of Shayne Berwick, 26, who suffered severe brain damage and is now confined to a wheelchair, held hands as the jury returned to the courtroom and burst into tears as the verdict was announced..

Middleton had told the court he was convinced the car's passengers had beaten Nick Perry, 19, to death near the Mossington Park bridge in Georgina Township.

Court has heard Perry refused medical attention after having his eyes blackened in a scuffle that morning, after an Asian fisherman and his friend were pushed into Lake Simcoe. Perry survived his injuries.

Middleton testified he was trying to overtake the car on a narrow road to force it to stop.

He had became testy when assistant Crown attorney Amit Ghosh reminded him that two witnesses in the trial said they thought they saw him shove a fisherman into Lake Simcoe from behind.

"Everyone in this trial is lying or mistaken except for you, right?," Ghosh asked.

"Yup," Middleton replied.
And it all began with a freewheeling night of friends and "nip-tipping": Asian fishermen targeted, trial told. The maximum term for the assault convictions is 14 years each and for criminal negligence, 10 years each. This guy sounds like an ass, and he needs to rot in a cell for a long time.

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