Manitoba

Woman sentenced to time served for role in Brandon skate park assault, stabbing of Black man

A woman has pleaded guilty to her part in the assault and stabbing of a Black man at a skate park in downtown Brandon.

20-year-old is one of 5 people arrested

The attack happened at the Kristopher Campbell Memorial Skate Plaza at Ninth Street and Princess Avenue in Brandon, Man. (Sean Kavanagh/CBC)

A 20-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to her part in the assault and stabbing of a Black man at a skate park in downtown Brandon.

The woman pleaded guilty to assault on Thursday. A charge of inciting hatred was stayed, Crown attorney Grant Hughes said. 

The woman was one of five people arrested in connection with the September 2020 assault. 

At the time, police said the woman was one of five people who yelled racial slurs at Kevin Taylor, 44, before he was stabbed five times near the Kristopher Campbell Memorial Skate Plaza.

The assault, which was captured on video by witnesses, was called reprehensible by police. 

The video showed Taylor being punched and kicked.

At one point, Taylor tried to defend himself and held one of the attackers down. A woman then pulled out a knife. She stabbed him repeatedly in the side of his abdomen, police said at the time.

Three women, age 20, 21 and 23, were arrested shortly after the attack and charged with several offences, including public incitement of hatred.

On Sept. 7, police arrested another woman, 60, on charges of assault and public incitement of hatred. 

A 36-year-old man was arrested in December 2020 on the same charges. 

The 20-year-old, who had been in custody since the assault, was sentenced to 255 days of time already served plus 18 months probation for the skate park incident, plus two previous unrelated incidents — an assault and an assault and theft. 

Hughes said the racial aspects of the incident were dealt with as aggravating factors in sentencing. 

The woman's co-accused are due in court at a later date.