Toronto, Ontario, December 15, 2009 — A 12-member jury found Mr. Middleton guilty on all six counts of aggravated assault and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, stemming from an incident in the early hours of September 16, 2007, during which he (was accused of) repeatedly rammed his pickup truck into a car, after a night of “nip-tipping,” a derogatory term used for attacks on Asian Canadian anglers.

Members of the Asian Canadian community held a press conference in response to the jury verdict and to announce the community’s plan to seek appropriate sentencing in this case on Wednesday December 16, 2009.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMMUNITY REACTS TO CONVICTION OF MAN ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING ASIAN CANADIANS
 

Toronto, Ontario, December 15, 2009—Members of Ontario’s Asian Canadian community reacted today to the jury’s verdict in the Crown’s case against Trevor Middleton of Sutton, Ont., on charges related to a September 2007 high-speed car chase that left two people seriously injured.

A 12-member jury found Mr. Middleton guilty on four counts of aggravated assault and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, stemming from an incident in the early hours of September 16, 2007, during which he repeatedly rammed his pickup truck into a car, after a night of “nip-tipping,” a derogatory term used for attacks on Asian Canadian anglers.

“We are pleased to see justice done, not only for the four direct victims of this heinous crime, but for all Asian Canadians who have been victimized by similar racist attacks that occurred over the last several years,” said Avvy Go, Clinic Director, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.

“We thank the jury for reaching the right verdict in this case. Now it is up to our governments and other public institutions to do their job to ensure that such things don’t happen again,” said Susan Eng, community activist and member of the Community Reference Group that assisted with an inquiry by the Ontario Human Rights Commission into attacks on Asian Canadian anglers.

  “The verdict delivered by the jury has galvanized the community to work harder with police and the courts in putting an end to these attacks across southern Ontario, where Asian Canadians are being targeted because of their race,” said Karen Sun, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO).

Middleton’s actions followed an altercation, triggered after a group of 10 to 20 locals from Georgina attacked a mixed-race group of seven friends, who were fishing from the docks at the mouth of the Black River, near Mossington Park bridge, where it meets Lake Simcoe. Liu, who testified that he’s unable to swim, and Hogan were pushed into the water.

 “The unfortunate circumstance of this court case is that the assaults on a group of Asian Canadians and their friends, which escalated to a high-speed car chase and its very tragic consequences, were not the subject of the charges against Middleton,” said Brad Lee, also a member of the Community Reference Group. 

“This particular attack and its tragic consequences victimize an entire community.  At the same time, we know that the issue of race-based violence is broader than one specific incident.  It is our responsibility to draw attention to and work towards eradicating racism and discrimination,” said Neethan Shan, Executive Director of Council of Agencies Serving South Asians.

To ensure that an appropriate sentence will be handed down by the judge, both to address the serious nature of the offences and to serve as a deterrent in similarly motivated attacks, a media conference will be called tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., at the offices of the CCNCTO, located at 215 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.  Members of the community will announce its next step to seek a just sentence.

 

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For more information, please contact:

Avvy Go, clinic director, Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, (416) 971-9674 or (647) 271-9357

Susan Eng, (647) 988-3595

Brad Lee, Community Reference Group, (416) 399-9850

Karen Sun, executive director, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO), (416) 596-0833 Ext. 3