Some Vancouver,
Canada, residents are aligning themselves with local
police, urging prosecutors to charge a man with assault as a
hate crime; the suspect is accused of attacking a gay
man.
Some Vancouver,
Canada, residents are aligning themselves with local
police, urging prosecutors to charge a man with assault as a
hate crime; the suspect is accused of attacking a gay
man.
Michael Kandola
is accused of knocking Jordan Smith unconscious and
breaking his jaw in three places. He made his first
appearance on Monday in community court, where he was
charged with aggravated assault causing bodily harm,
according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Smith, 27, said
he was walking and holding hands with another man when
they were approached by a group of four men using gay slurs.
Vancouver police
constable Tim Fanning said bystanders reported Kandola,
20, using gay slurs before the attack.
"This is a good
opportunity," he told Toronto's Globe and Mail,
"a good time to tell any community out there that
feels they have been treated this sort of way, that
they have been a victim of a hate crime, please call us.
Call us right away."
Fanning added,
"The facts of the case are that these slurs towards
our victims' sexuality were heard by several witnesses and
then he was assaulted. We are saying the facts we have
before us seem to indicate this would be a good case
to look at as a hate crime because of all the
circumstances." Under the criminal code, a heavier sentence
could be imposed if the crime was motivated by factors
like sexual orientation. (Michelle Garcia, The
Advocate)
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