Guilty Verdict in Fisherman attacks

[troutologist]

Ignorance and racism are surely the dominant factors involved.

 

I wonder to what degree the perceived lack of enforcement and the actual lack of enforcement of the Regulations/Laws allowed this and other situations to percolate and fester.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

 

In the early morning hours, I don't believe some brand of vigilante resource stewardship was in the front of their minds. Unfortunate incident without a doubt, poor decision by these gents, and an example should be made to clarify the right way to behave for others.

 

As frustrating as it is to watch resource infractions, why take the law into your own hands, someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but this NEVER turns out well.

 

If it comes out of the case that the perceived lack of enforcement was a potential factor here, perhaps the powers that be can be lobbied to pony up some duckets for more CO's....

[farsider]

My awkwardly worded post was actually trying to raise the issue of the enforcement or lack-there-of of Fishing/Hunting Regulations.

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

Oh, I see Troutologist got it. Ignore above.

Edited December 16, 2009 by farsider

[Woodsman]

I pushed my sister in law in once.. but her crime was that she was wearing a white t shirt..

 

If you had the same 5 (yes I said 5) sister in laws I do you'd never consider such a ridiculous frighting thought.

[scuro2]

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/arti...-guilty-verdict

 

The incident started after Liu and his friend Charles Hogan were pushed into the water at a popular Sutton-area fishing spot. Court heard Liu was fishing with Hogan and longtime friends Shayne Berwick and Shiv Kumar at the "Blue Bridge" of Mossington Park. The family of Berwick – who suffered severe brain damage that has left him in a wheelchair after Middleton ran the car into a tree with his truck – held hands tightly and wept after the decision was read. Outside the courtroom, Berwick's father, Colin, said the family is gratified with the conviction. "Now we are just trying to get Shayne back to where he was before," Colin Berwick told a crush of reporters. "But we didn't see the (outcome) being any other way. The evidence was overwhelming." Brad Lee, spokesman for a group of Asian Canadians, urged Justice Alfred Stong to give Middleton a stiff jail sentence in the hope it will act as a deterrent. Since 2007, there have been 25 reported attacks on Asian anglers, many on Lake Simcoe, Lee said. "We are hoping the judge will consider hate crimes as an aggravating factor in sentencing," Lee said. Middleton's family and his lawyer Gerald Logan declined to comment. Middleton is due back in court Jan. 4, when a date is scheduled to be set for sentencing. During the trial, court heard that three truckloads of youths drove to the fishing spot in the early morning hours of Sept. 16, 2007, in anticipation of "nip-tipping." The four friends and three others were fishing at the Mossington Park bridge when Middleton and his group of 10 to 20 youths arrived in pickup trucks and an SUV.

Witnesses testified Liu and Hogan were pushed into the water after the youths demanded to see their fishing licences. Following a scuffle between Kumar and one of Middleton's friends, the four anglers piled into Liu's Civic, with Middleton in pursuit. Court heard a frantic 911 call to the police from Hogan as the Civic was being rammed by the truck. Hogan said two trucks were trying to drive their car into Lake Simcoe. Middleton testified he chased the vehicle to make a citizen's arrest after his friend was beaten up. Liu testified that after his vehicle hit a tree and his friends were ejected, he pleaded for Middleton's help, but was refused. Middleton drove off without calling police. Hogan was thrown from the vehicle into Lake Simcoe. Berwick suffered a fractured skull, a blood clot on the brain, 10 broken ribs and a punctured lung. He spent three months in a coma and is expected to need constant care for the rest of his life. Colin Berwick said his son, now 26, was three years into his five-year electrician's apprenticeship when he was injured. His son has no memory of life before the accident, Berwick added.

[splashhopper]

Good stuff

 

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009...5/12163841.html

 

 

He looks a little "too pretty " for jail..

[splashhopper]

I'm sure this has been discussed before in the past… But can someone tell me how this turned from a guy getting pushed into the water, to one of the “pushers” getting severely beaten, to brain damage caused by a high speed car crash..

 

I think "the situation escalated" is an understatement.

 

 

it sounds like the four guys were INTIMIDATED by the 10-20 rednecks and decided to get the hell outa there to me...

wouldn't you ?

[capt bruce]

"I believe Trevor will benefit from the many forms of "correction" both official and unofficial, that will be made available to him in one of Canada's correctional facilities. He will begin to understand first hand the importance of attempting to get along with his fellow inmates, of thinking of their needs before his own. It may be essential for him to experience what it is like when there is no place to run, no one interested in hearing his legitimate concerns and nothing he can do to get out of a bad situation, much like the fishermen he attacked for no reason."

 

 

We can only hope

[Jonny]

We have gotten used to, over the years, pointing fingers south of the border for this kind of crime. This is horrendous and shocking, and there are no mitigating circumstances lent to the crime by the supposition that the anglers were doing something illegal.

 

I think some heavy jail time is in order.

[bigbuck]

This guy and his friends are a bunch of complete morons!!! He deserves the maximum penalty for what he did. We live in Canada, supposedly we pride ourselves on our racial tolerance. This is not the Deep South in the 1800's. This type of crap should never be tolerated anywhere!!! Canada was not always so tolerant, but we changed our ways to become better people. You see someone overfishing, call the police or the MNR, it is not up to you to be a vigilante and to dispense your particular brand of 'Justice'. Shayne Berwick's life effectively ended that fateful day. He will never ever be able to live his life to it's full potential. He will need constant care for the rest of his life, maybe part of the punishment meted out should be having to take care of Shayne for a week, only a week, just to see what was the result of that act of stupidity. My heart goes out to the victims of this.

[scuro2]

it sounds like the four guys were INTIMIDATED by the 10-20 rednecks and decided to get the hell outa there to me...

wouldn't you ?

 

Yup.

 

What it looks like about 20 "youths" chillin together late one night. According to the National Post some in this group where drinking. I can see it now, one of them gets the bright idea of "nip tipping" so they all race out to the local fishing hole. Here they found their victims as four guys were fishing at the time and this large gang circle the four and ask them for their fishing licenses. They got pushed in as they attempted to get the licenses out. The last names of the 4 who were harassed are not even all Asian so it doesn't look like they were even targeting recent immigrants but instead, established Canadians. Two of the four got thrown in the water. The four then attempted to flee in a Honda Civic. The gang chases them in two trucks, to make a "citizen's arrest". They ram into the Honda Civic repeatedly and very nearly push the car into Lake Simcoe, Apparently if you are going to make a citizens arrest, they have to be in a lake first. In ramming the Civic one of the 4 is ejected out of the car and suffers serious injury when the Civic hits a tree. The force of the ramming imprints the license plate of the truck perfectly on the bumper of the civic. This piece of evidence shocks the jury. Trevor Middleton, in his defense, stated they were attempting to make a citizen's arrest because one of the four apparently beat up his friend.

 

Yeah right, and the jury didn't buy that one either.

Edited December 16, 2009 by scuro2

[Terry]

The last names of the 4 who were harassed are not even all Asian so it doesn't look like they were even targeting recent immigrants but instead, established Canadians. Two of the four got thrown in the water. The four then attempted to flee in a Honda Civic.

 

 

Yeah right, and the jury didn't buy that one either.

 

 

hold it

 

the headline is

 

 

News Canada

Guilty verdict in Asian fisherman attack

 

By TORONTO SUN STAFF

..............................

..can some confirm that only 2 of the 4 people attacked were Asian..

[scuro2]

hold it

 

the headline is

 

 

News Canada

Guilty verdict in Asian fisherman attack

 

By TORONTO SUN STAFF

..............................

..can some confirm that only 2 of the 4 people attacked were Asian..

 

This is what I posted, "The last names of the 4 who were harassed are not even all Asian so it doesn't look like they were even targeting recent immigrants but instead, established Canadians".

 

From the Star article which I posted previously.

Court heard a frantic 911 call to the police from Hogan as the Civic was being rammed by the truck. Hogan said two trucks were trying to drive their car into Lake Simcoe. Middleton testified he chased the vehicle to make a citizen's arrest after his friend was beaten up. Liu testified that after his vehicle hit a tree and his friends were ejected, he pleaded for Middleton's help, but was refused. Middleton drove off without calling police. Hogan was thrown from the vehicle into Lake Simcoe. Berwick suffered a fractured skull, a blood clot on the brain, 10 broken ribs and a punctured lung.

 

I don't know too many recent Asian immigrants with the last name of Hogan or Berwick. Of course it is possible. I did hear the 911 call today and while the occupants were clearly in a panic, the voice was in plain english. Moments later the call goes dead as they are rammed into a tree. Also I read that the four at first asked if Middleton et al, were joking when they asked for their fishing licenses. That demonstrates a good working knowledge of English. I think you could safely assume that at least some of these 4 victims were established Canadians.

 

To me it's a moot point, this is clearly a case of racism and it doesn't much matter if they were recent immigrants. I made that point simply to show that the gang wasn't looking for "immigrants" but rather a racial type which could have been anyone with Asian like features. It shows a level of ignorance similar to what we saw after 9-11 when a hindu temple was desecrated in Hamilton. Those Einsteins were going after Canadian Muslims. The Asian community is asking that Middleton be charged under the hate crimes section of the criminal code, I couldn't agree more with their assertion.

Edited December 16, 2009 by scuro2

[codered]

." Hogan said two trucks were trying to drive their car into Lake Simcoe

 

WoW.

What is this world comming to, prison is were this 23 year old "Boy" should reside for the rest of his life .

To do such dammage to another human being is purly sick.. By the sounds of things with little remorse..

I hope that the others involved are found guilty and recieve a jail sentance too Seems like there were more than just middleton involved.

such stupid things with such a tragic ending..

He looks like he will fare well in prison (my advice sleep with one eye open little man they dont allow trucks in prison)

What a bloody shame.....

[Terry]

ok

 

...

.

again

 

 

 

QUOTE (scuro2 @ Dec 16 2009, 04:05 PM) *

The last names of the 4 who were harassed are not even all Asian

UNQUOTE

that they did was wrong

the guy should spend a lot of time in jail

 

but every time I heard about this it was billed as a racial crime

if half of them were not of the race named how can it be racial

 

but maybe they are all of the same race and this is a racial attack...I was just trying to confirm facts

[Twocoda]

Terry i think it became a racial thing when the term "nip tipping " came into play...they were targeting Asians from the start making it racially motivated

[Terry]

I suppose......

 

but in the bigger picture as long as he gets a good long sentence and it sends the message that it's unexceptionable behavior.......

[scuro2]

ok

 

...

.

again

 

 

 

QUOTE (scuro2 @ Dec 16 2009, 04:05 PM) *

The last names of the 4 who were harassed are not even all Asian

UNQUOTE

that they did was wrong

the guy should spend a lot of time in jail

 

but every time I heard about this it was billed as a racial crime

if half of them were not of the race named how can it be racial

 

but maybe they are all of the same race and this is a racial attack...I was just trying to confirm facts

 

Not a problem...who knows if they were all of Asian descent and some just had English names. That hasn't been made clear in any of the news reports. Who knows how it went down exactly. If the anglers were of mixed descent did they target the Asian looking ones? Sounds like the justification for the two trucks ramming the civic into the lake was that a fight broke out one of the four anglers got the better of one of the gang. That could simply be a lie to cover Middleton's arse...or it could have happened and simply been a case of self defense. That part of the story isn't expanded upon and since it isn't...I don't see these 4 anglers as being the aggressors as Middleton has painted them out to be.

 

The one thing for certain is that this has become a major news story.

Edited December 17, 2009 by scuro2