The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) is encouraged by the guilty verdict today in the Asian angler assault case.

“We are hopeful that the outcomes of this case and other cases will prevent further actions of violence against our communities.” 

In October 2007, CCNC met with Georgina Mayor Robert Grossi who apologized to affected Asian and Jewish communities for the numerous reported incidents of assault and anti-Semitic graffiti and the local council established an equity and diversity committee. Over the past two years, CCNC has monitored these and other assault cases, and has worked with CCNC chapters and other local community-based groups to push for more visible political and local community leadership in addressing racism. 

Founded in 1980, CCNC is a national non-profit organization with 27 chapters across Canada and a community leader for Chinese Canadians in promoting a more just, respectful, and inclusive society. CCNC and allies are one of the co-recipients of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s 2008 Award of Excellence for its work on the Chinese Head Tax redress campaign.  

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For more information or media interviews, please contact:   

Victor Wong, Executive Director (416) 977-9871; national@ccnc.ca

Yorkregion.com - Georgina - Middleton guilty in angler attack case

Middleton guilty in angler attack case

By Joe Fantauzzi, Staff Writer

Published on Dec 15, 2009

A Newmarket jury found Trevor Middleton guilty this morning.

The 23-year-old Georgina man was convicted on all six charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and aggravated assault, following a three-week trial.

Mr. Middleton’s hands were clasped over his face after the verdict was delivered, while his family wept in the courtroom.

Court heard Mr. Middleton and a group of his friends in several pickup trucks drove to a known fishing hole near the blue bridge at Mossington Park in Georgina on Sept.
16, 2007 at about 2 a.m. When the group was at the docks, two 24-year-old anglers from Toronto — Charles Hogan and Ruohang Liu — were pushed into the water.

After the pushing, the group of about 10, with the exception of one of Mr. Middleton’s friends, ran back to the pickups and drove away.

Mr. Middleton’s lawyer, Gerald Logan, told the court his client was unaware his friend had remained behind at the docks.

The court has heard the lone man associated with the group in the trucks was involved in a fight before he ended up back on the road injured.

Mr. Middleton returned to the bridge later that morning and was involved in a pursuit with several anglers in a white Honda Civic, court heard.

Crown prosecutor Amit Ghosh argued that during the pursuit, Mr. Middleton repeatedly rammed the Civic until its driver lost control and slammed into a tree, ejecting Mr. Hogan and Shayne Berwick from the back seats.

Mr. Hogan suffered whiplash and hypothermia, along with neck, spine and head injuries.

Mr. Berwick crashed into a tree, suffered a fractured skull that caused him to lapse into a coma for three months, along with several other injuries, court heard.

Mr. Logan told the court his client intended to stop the Civic to identify people he thought had killed his friend, the lone man who was found on the road near the Mossington bridge.

Mr. Middleton was never charged in connection with the pushing that took place on the docks.

http://www.yorkregion.com/printarticle/100647

Guilty verdict in Asian angler assault case

December 15, 2009

Gail Swainson

Newmarket–A Sutton man has been found guilty of assault and criminal negligence in a 2007 attack on a group of anglers that left one of them confined to a wheelchair.

A jury convicted Trever Middleton, a professional motorcycle racer, on all six charges he faced in a Newmarket court Tuesday.

The court heard that Middleton had tried to run a car carrying Asian fishermen and their friends off the road near Jackson's Point in Georgina Township early in the morning of Sept. 16, 2007, after the fishermen were pushed into Lake Simcoe.

The car hit a tree, leaving one of its occupants with severe head injuries.

After Tuesday's verdict, the Crown asked the court to revoke Middleton's bail pending sentencing, and warned he faced a "substantial jail term."

The maximum term for the assault convictions is 14 years each and for criminal negligence, 10 years each.

The jury of eight women and four men all spoke up firmly when they were polled individually for their unanimous verdict. Middleton shook his head or stared straight ahead as each declared him guilty. They had deliberated for three hours Monday and two hours Tuesday before coming back at 11 a.m.

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.

with files from Peter Edwards

http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/739003