Jeremy Bellows was convicted June 12, along with Ricky Dennis, for aggravated assault and intimidation of a witness.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP Handout
June 12, 2020 - 1:19 PM
Two men steeped in the Kamloops crime scene were found guilty of several charges today that left one man permanently scarred.
Matthew Carstairs had the word “rat” carved into his chest during the attack in his home on Aug. 27, 2018.
Today in Kamloops Supreme Court, Justice Dev Dley found Jeremy Bellows, born 1985, and Ricky Dennis, born 1986, guilty of aggravated assault and intimidating a witness.
Dley said Carstairs was friends with Dennis prior to the assault and recognized him when he entered his house with two other men. They confronted Carstairs about his involvement in a police investigation. Carstairs was cooperating with police for an investigation about a Nov. 4, 2017 incident that saw one man pistol-whipped and another innocent neighbour shot as a result.
The men beat Carstairs with batons, cut his face and marked his chest with a knife.
“Mr. Carstairs was regarded as a rat or a snitch and would be marked as such,” Dley said. “His assailants took turns delivering punishments.”
The men were not found guilty of unlawful confinement and break and enter. Although Bellows had an imitation firearm, he did not use it during the assault and therefore was not found guilty of that charge.
Both Bellows and Dennis were found guilty of witness intimidation and aggravated assault.
The matter will be in court again on June 22 to set a date for sentencing.
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