Victim of West End assault wants ‘hate crime’ sentence
Posted April 26, 2010 3:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The victim of a 2008 West End assault is hoping his attacker gets sentenced with a hate crime. The ruling will be announced on Friday.
Jordan Smith was walking hand-in-hand with another man on Davie Street when he was attacked. Michael Kandola pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm, but it’s still up to a judge to determine whether it’s a hate crime. Smith feels it’s clear it was a hate crime. “Before the incident happened, there was homophobic remarks and derogatory comments, during the assault that continued and after the assault.”
Smith says he still suffers from shoulder and jaw problems after the September 2008 assault. “They have to apply this hate law. It has to show that there’s a consequence for targeting people who are different. I mean, we were targeted because we were two guys holding hands.”
