Elder’s death ‘ripples through generations’
Moncton-area teen’s sentence of probation for assault on Sitansisk First Nation man angers victim’s family; youth court focus is on helping young offenders find better path, says judge
Members of a Sitansisk (St. Mary’s) First Nation elder’s family and the Indigenous community filled a Fredericton courtroom to demand justice for the man who died last summer.
But on the other side of the case was a tearful young man who quietly wishes he could take back his senseless and drunken attack that ultimately led to the elder’s death.
A sentencing hearing was held in Fredericton youth court for an 18-year-old Moncton-area man on a charge of assault.
He’d previously admitted to assaulting Mark Albert Brooks II, 71, better known to his family and fellow Sitansisk members as “Barnzie,” on Fredericton’s north side the night of July 21.
The offender was 17 at the time of the incident, so his identity is protected as per the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.