Michael Joseph MacAusland, 21, of Miscouche, pleaded guilty to one count of carrying a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public — a golf club — and one count of assaulting a man with that golf club.
He was sentenced to serve 15 days in jail and 18 months of probation and must pay $200 in victim surcharges. He also has to write a letter of apology to the victim.
The incident took place on Aug. 23, 2015, in a church parking lot in St. Gilbert.
According to the facts read in court, there was an inter-community fight, set up through Facebook, set for that day in the parking lot with a group of young people from Miscouche going to fight a group from Wellington.
The victim in the incident found out about the fight and, for unknown reasons, travelled to the site and arrived just as the crowd was dispersing. The facts read in court did not indicate if a fight actually took place prior to his arrival.
The victim had a piece of wood with him and started asking people things along the line of “who wants it first?” and was poking and swinging it at people.
Several members of the crowd turned on the man and beat him. He suffered injuries to his face and the rest of his head, torso, groin and legs and required a number of stitches.
MacAusland was identified by witnesses as someone who, while not the instigator of the group attack, did join in.
The RCMP later found a broom handle, tire jack and golf club at the scene.
In sentencing MacAusland, Judge Jeff Lantz said, “The victim in this matter may have provoked them to some degree, but the accused and others are lucky that he wasn’t more seriously hurt or killed. Otherwise they’d be looking at months or years in jail instead of days.”
Michael Joseph MacAusland, 21, of Miscouche, pleaded guilty to one count of carrying a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public — a golf club — and one count of assaulting a man with that golf club.
He was sentenced to serve 15 days in jail and 18 months of probation and must pay $200 in victim surcharges. He also has to write a letter of apology to the victim.
The incident took place on Aug. 23, 2015, in a church parking lot in St. Gilbert.
According to the facts read in court, there was an inter-community fight, set up through Facebook, set for that day in the parking lot with a group of young people from Miscouche going to fight a group from Wellington.
The victim in the incident found out about the fight and, for unknown reasons, travelled to the site and arrived just as the crowd was dispersing. The facts read in court did not indicate if a fight actually took place prior to his arrival.
The victim had a piece of wood with him and started asking people things along the line of “who wants it first?” and was poking and swinging it at people.
Several members of the crowd turned on the man and beat him. He suffered injuries to his face and the rest of his head, torso, groin and legs and required a number of stitches.
MacAusland was identified by witnesses as someone who, while not the instigator of the group attack, did join in.
The RCMP later found a broom handle, tire jack and golf club at the scene.
In sentencing MacAusland, Judge Jeff Lantz said, “The victim in this matter may have provoked them to some degree, but the accused and others are lucky that he wasn’t more seriously hurt or killed. Otherwise they’d be looking at months or years in jail instead of days.”
