Why BC Provincial Court Is Better Than Reality Television.
I was in court today (from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. for a 5 minute voir dire) on a work-related matter. There were all the usual suspects; the speeders, the dudes who don't think the seat belt laws were written with them in mind, the jaywalkers, the guys who think public spaces = urinals, nothing terribly exciting or provocative.
Until the drunken brawler's case was on the docket.
The guy was charged with fighting on a city street and public intoxication. He entered a plea of not guilty to the fighting charge and then proceeded to make a total ass of himself in front of a packed courtroom.
First it was his claim of self-defense. That would be all well and good, and maybe even valid, if not for the fact that the man from whom he was defending himself was on the ground, in the fetal position, trying to protect his face and head as this ape and his friend rained kicks down on his body.
When the Justice looked skeptical about that line, the guy changed tactics. He and his buddy were leaving a bar after he consumed two drinks, when they noticed their victim beating a homeless man. Good citizens that they are, they commanded that he cease and desist, at which point their victim punched the Good Samaritan in the mouth. In return, our guy knocked the alleged homeless-man-abuser out cold with one well aimed right to the jaw. He then put his foot on the chest of the victim to restrain him.
Enter the VPD. Two constables on foot patrol saw the ape and his sidekick (pun intended) putting the boots to a third man who was prone on the sidewalk. They were approximately a third of a block away, on a well lit street. Witnesses told them that the three men had been in altercation, a fight that had spilled out of the club at which they had been partying. The police officers noted that both of the men kicking the shit out of the third guy were heavily intoxicated (our guy is a longshoreman, a strong, burly man; his two drinks, the Crown Prosecutor remarked, must have consisted of eight shots each).
This is where the story gets fuzzy. The two constables said they placed all three men in custody, which means they were face down on the ground with their hands cuffed behind them. Standard operating procedure. They were then placed in the police wagon and taken to the drunk tank.
Our champion-of-the-homeless says that he was beaten by the police officers for thirty minutes. Half an hour. At Davie and Robson, in the heart of the entertainment district, from approximately 3:30 - 4:00 a.m., when bars are closing and there are literally hundreds of patrons on the streets. No video clips, no cell phone photos, no calls to 911 or the media (not necessarily in that order). Two police officers punching and kicking a man with his hands cuffed behind him for half an hour.
When the Crown Prosecutor challenged Ape-Man's version of events, he said that he was lucky he hadn't ended up like Robert Dziekanski. When the Prosecutor said that was the RCMP not the VPD, and that there was an Inquiry being held to determine whether the police acted appropriately, the guy said all cops are the same, and they'll use any excuse to beat up "innocent people trying to do the right thing". He claimed that hundreds (?) of people are assaulted and murdered by the B.C. (again ?) police every year.
I'm truly surprised that this Neanderthal didn't break his shoulder patting himself on the back. Fortunately the Justice saw him for what he is, a goon. There was no evidence (from dozens of voluntary witnesses), that there was a homeless man who had been assaulted. What happened was simple, a drunk was punched (for whatever reason....listening to him piss and moan for an hour made me want to knock him out) in front of his friend, and in a testosterone and alcohol-induced rage beat a guy senseless.
Our guy couldn't believe it when he was found guilty. He stated that if he really was guilty that he should have been charged with assault.
That's the one thing everyone in the courtroom could agree on.
Until the drunken brawler's case was on the docket.
The guy was charged with fighting on a city street and public intoxication. He entered a plea of not guilty to the fighting charge and then proceeded to make a total ass of himself in front of a packed courtroom.
First it was his claim of self-defense. That would be all well and good, and maybe even valid, if not for the fact that the man from whom he was defending himself was on the ground, in the fetal position, trying to protect his face and head as this ape and his friend rained kicks down on his body.
When the Justice looked skeptical about that line, the guy changed tactics. He and his buddy were leaving a bar after he consumed two drinks, when they noticed their victim beating a homeless man. Good citizens that they are, they commanded that he cease and desist, at which point their victim punched the Good Samaritan in the mouth. In return, our guy knocked the alleged homeless-man-abuser out cold with one well aimed right to the jaw. He then put his foot on the chest of the victim to restrain him.
Enter the VPD. Two constables on foot patrol saw the ape and his sidekick (pun intended) putting the boots to a third man who was prone on the sidewalk. They were approximately a third of a block away, on a well lit street. Witnesses told them that the three men had been in altercation, a fight that had spilled out of the club at which they had been partying. The police officers noted that both of the men kicking the shit out of the third guy were heavily intoxicated (our guy is a longshoreman, a strong, burly man; his two drinks, the Crown Prosecutor remarked, must have consisted of eight shots each).
This is where the story gets fuzzy. The two constables said they placed all three men in custody, which means they were face down on the ground with their hands cuffed behind them. Standard operating procedure. They were then placed in the police wagon and taken to the drunk tank.
Our champion-of-the-homeless says that he was beaten by the police officers for thirty minutes. Half an hour. At Davie and Robson, in the heart of the entertainment district, from approximately 3:30 - 4:00 a.m., when bars are closing and there are literally hundreds of patrons on the streets. No video clips, no cell phone photos, no calls to 911 or the media (not necessarily in that order). Two police officers punching and kicking a man with his hands cuffed behind him for half an hour.
When the Crown Prosecutor challenged Ape-Man's version of events, he said that he was lucky he hadn't ended up like Robert Dziekanski. When the Prosecutor said that was the RCMP not the VPD, and that there was an Inquiry being held to determine whether the police acted appropriately, the guy said all cops are the same, and they'll use any excuse to beat up "innocent people trying to do the right thing". He claimed that hundreds (?) of people are assaulted and murdered by the B.C. (again ?) police every year.
I'm truly surprised that this Neanderthal didn't break his shoulder patting himself on the back. Fortunately the Justice saw him for what he is, a goon. There was no evidence (from dozens of voluntary witnesses), that there was a homeless man who had been assaulted. What happened was simple, a drunk was punched (for whatever reason....listening to him piss and moan for an hour made me want to knock him out) in front of his friend, and in a testosterone and alcohol-induced rage beat a guy senseless.
Our guy couldn't believe it when he was found guilty. He stated that if he really was guilty that he should have been charged with assault.
That's the one thing everyone in the courtroom could agree on.
posted by Alphamutt at 9:22 PM
1 Comments:
Well, at least you can't say that your job is boring! Wow, just, wow.
Erika
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