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A teenager who was part of a gang that “viciously attacked” two men and sparked public outcry over violence in Mount Pearl has been sentenced for his role in the beating.
The boy, who was 15 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault on Oct. 1. He was sentenced to 24 days’ custody — which he already served — and 18 months of probation, on Nov. 7.
According to the sentencing decision by Newfoundland and Labrador provincial court Judge Lois Skanes, the boy and several of his friends devised a plan to lure unknown men into a secluded area under the guise of setting up a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old boy.
“In our society we do not countenance vigilantism such as was carried out in this case. Though reporting to police is encouraged, the enforcement of the law is to be left to the lawful authorities,” Skanes wrote in her decision.
“One of the many reasons for this is illustrated here where the wrong person was attacked. Having said that, even attacking the ‘right person,’ is not permitted.”
The teens arranged two meetings on Nov. 24, 2024, Skanes said.
The first took place near Morris Academy in Mount Pearl. When the group arrived, they saw a man exiting his vehicle who they mistook for the person they had been communicating with.
The man told the teens he was there to pick up his children.
“One member of the group stated, ‘It’s a bit late to be picking up your kids, sicko,'” the decision said.
One of the teens beat the man with a baseball bat, striking his face and left shoulder.
Skanes said the man sustained swelling and bruising along with a deep, gaping wound on his brow that required seven stitches.
The decision says the group was mistaken and the person they attacked was not who they were communicating with.
The agreed statement of fact says the teen was unaware a bat was going to be used. However, the group disposed of the bat at the teen’s grandmother’s house before going to the second meetup.
In that case, the group followed a man as he exited his vehicle near St. David’s Park and asked what he was doing. The man responded that he was visiting his sister.
One teen told him to stop stuttering and called him the N-word, before another of the group assaulted the man with a stick. He was pepper sprayed while two others from the group held him and punched him from either side.
The man sustained a broken nose, a swollen eye and lips, and pain in his hips and elbow.
After the assault, the group asked the victim to give them $150.
Teen a low-risk to reoffend
The Crown asked the judge to sentence the teen to six months custody and supervision, while the defence recommended probation and community service.
Skanes noted that the teen in question did not take part in the assault but participated in the luring and was present for the swarmings.
‘While perhaps not as culpable in respect of the injuries caused to the first victim as to the second, [the teen’s] level of participation cannot be said to be de minimus,” wrote Skanes.
“As part of the group who lured and assaulted the victims, his level of participation was significant.”
Skanes said the group caused serious bodily harm to both victims.
The man who was attacked submitted a victim impact statement that said he still suffers from symptoms of the concussion he sustained that day.
Around two dozen Mount Pearlians walked up to a microphone in the middle of the packed Reid Community Centre gymnasium to share their concerns about public safety with city politicians, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers and other residents during a public meeting. (Jessica Singer/CBC)
“He also expresses anger that his children were waiting inside the school when the attack happened, and they heard what was going on outside,” Skanes wrote.
“The victim advises that the children were unable to return to their after-school program due to the trauma cased to them.”
The second victim did not provide a victim impact statement.
A pre-sentence report for the teen says this was his first encounter with the law, that he has a stable, supportive home life, and was described by a mental health clinician “as a shy, softspoken, follower.”
He is considered a low risk to reoffend.
The teen was ordered to provide a DNA sample and is under a two-year weapons prohibition.
The RNC charged seven teenagers, aged 13 to 16, at the time. The status of the other teens’ court cases is not immediately clear.
The back-to-back assaults sparked swift condemnation of the police and provincial government. More than 200 residents attended a public meeting to discuss their concerns with RNC Chief Pat Roche. Then-justice minister Bernard Davis did not show up.
“This has shaken our community,” said Mount Pearl Coun. Isabelle Fry, who helped moderate the meeting in December.
“This is not Mount Pearl.”
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