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(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
April 10, 2023 - 4:00 PM
Three men who assaulted a stranger after Kelowna's Centre of Gravity festival landed back in court to pay for their victim's injury eight years later.
Ryan Aiken, Braydon Giesbrecht and Todd Van Gaal put Andrew Mathieson in a coma after a 3 a.m. fight at a Kelowna 7-Eleven in 2015. Two pleaded guilty to assault and another was found guilty after a trial in criminal court, but that didn't mean their legal troubles were over.
Mathieson was put in a coma for "several" days after he was left with a concussion and skull fractures on July 25, 2015, according to an April 8 B.C. Supreme Court decision.
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The three men from Lethbridge, Alta, were in Kelowna for the Centre of Gravity music festival and drank alcohol throughout the day, including during their drive from Alberta, then at several places throughout the day in Kelowna.
After finishing the last of their drinks at downtown bars, they stopped at a 7-Eleven on their way to a friend's house. That's where they met Mathieson and what followed was recorded on the store's surveillance cameras.
They were all in line to pay when Aiken tried to talk to Mathieson.
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"Although there is no audio, it appears Aiken was attempting to engage (Mathieson) in conversation. (Mathieson) appears to be ignoring Aiken and was looking at his phone," the decision reads.
Giesbrecht put his arm around Aiken's shoulder to maneuver him away, but Aiken hit Mathieson and struck his phone to the ground.
A three-against-one fight ensued within the store, ending with the three men fleeing the store.
Giesbrecht, guilty of assault causing bodily harm, landed an 18 month conditional sentence, while Aiken got 14 days in jail for a common assault charge, according to online court documents. It's not clear what Van Gaal's sentence for his assault conviction was.
Supreme Justice Steven Wilson deemed all three men should be jointly liable for Mathieson's costs associated with his injuries, but it's not clear how much that will cost them. None of those details were discussed in the decision.
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