Man convicted in attack on Asian anglers

An Ontario man has been convicted of assault and criminal negligence in connection with a September 2007 attack on a group of fishermen that left one of them with severe brain damage.

A jury in a Newmarket court found Trevor Middleton, 23, guilty on Tuesday of four counts of aggravated assault and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

The charges relate to an attack on Shayne Berwick and six of his friends — two of Asian descent — in Georgina, northeast of Newmarket, which is 50 kilometres north of Toronto.

Berwick's group was fishing near Mossington Park Bridge off Lake Simcoe early in the morning on Sept. 16, 2007, when Middleton and some of his friends arrived on the scene. Middleton's group pushed two of Berwick's friends off the dock and into the lake, the court heard.

A scuffle ensued between two members of the two groups, and one of Middleton's friends was badly beaten.

Berwick and his friends then got into their Honda Civic and fled. But Middleton chased them down a road with his pickup truck, ramming into the Honda repeatedly until it crashed into a tree, the court heard.

Berwick was severely injured in the crash and suffered brain damage. He is now confined to a wheelchair and needs round-the-clock care.

'I can't feel relief'

"We try not to break down," said Berwick's stepmother, Terry. "It's been an emotional ride. The verdict is out, and we have to go on.

"I can't feel relief. I don't know why," said Berwick's father, Colin. "It's going to be a never-ending battle now. We have to deal with Shayne.

The Crown has claimed the attack was racially motivated.

Brad Lee, a Chinese community activist, said Tuesday that racially motivated attacks against anglers of Asian descent are a big problem in some rural communities.

"I hope it sends the right message to everyone in Ontario that we all have the right to enjoy Ontario's great outdoors and fish in peace and not worry about having people sneak up on us and push us into the water," he said, reacting to the conviction.

Those sentiments have been echoed by other community activists for months. They have criticized the Ontario government and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters for not doing enough to address what they say is a serious problem.

But the Berwicks said the extent of the sentence won't make that much difference to them or their son.

"This guy can get five years, 10 years, 20 years, whatever. Shayne is the one that has the life sentence," said Terry Berwick.