VOICE VIEW
“I’m not going to stop fighting for my son and I do need people’s support”
MIKE Chand, the Surrey father of an autistic teenager who was brutally and mercilessly assaulted on January 26, 2022, by former Saskatchewan hockey player Spencer Meyer is still in a state of disbelief after his son’s attacker was given a conditional discharge and sentenced to two years of probation and a $100 fine.
He will have no criminal record if he meets the conditions of his discharge.
That has sent shock waves through the South Asian community that has always viewed the justice system as racist.
They also want to know why the plea bargain by Crown so heavily favoured Meyer and has made the justice system look like a big joke.
Meyer faced charges of assault causing bodily harm and two counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. According to Global BC, he pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and refused to speak to the media after the hearing.
Global BC that interviewed the victim, Sahil, in January 2022, reported that the 16-year-old was taking his usual walk in the neighbourhood when a stranger pulled up in a vehicle and demanded to know what he was up to. He refused to believe Sahil was just out for a walk, accused him of trying to steal from the trunk of his car and started punching him mercilessly. Sahil said he was kicked in the stomach and that the man picked him back up and knocked him down again.
Sahil told Global BC: “He puts me on the ground and then he pulls out his phone and starts filming me, and he tells me to admit what I did wrong on camera.” Then the man threatened to “pull a bullet in the back of my head” if they ever met again.
Sahil sustained non-life-threatening facial injuries and he considered himself lucky that he didn’t suffer more serious injuries.
His father, Mike Chand, told The VOICE on Wednesday that he has no knowledge of court proceedings and legal matters, so when the Crown contacted him about a plea bargain, he agreed to it on the understanding that that Meyer would have a criminal record.
So he was appalled when he learned that there would be no criminal record for Meyer. He said he was told that he could not appeal the decision.
It seems apparent that the Crown did not explain matters clearly and properly to Chand.
When The VOICE suggested that he should try and appeal to the B.C. Supreme Court and explain how he was not reportedly properly and clearly briefed on the plea bargain by the Crown, he noted that he didn’t have the financial resources to do so.
However, he has an appointment with a lawyer next week to discuss filing a civil case for damages. He said he would donate any money he got to a charity – something that he does often with charity shows that he organizes.
“I’m not going to stop fighting for my son and I do need people’s support,” he said.
