NORTH BATTLEFORD – Charges against a man accused of assault in the alleged attack against a First Nations man have been upgraded and a sentencing hearing has been set for Nov. 3 in North Battleford Provincial Court.
Defence Randy Kirkham told the court Thursday that a plea will "probably" be entered at the next court date and he said the sentencing hearing is expected to be "fairly lengthy."
Adam Lesmesiter, 46, was charged with common assault and the charge has been changed to assault causing bodily harm. The Crown told the court that they received the new charge on Wednesday.
Kirkham told the court that he is waiting for additional disclosure from the Crown.
Dane Lesmeister, 18, was also arrested and charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
The charges for both Adam Lesmeister and Dane Lesmeister stem from an incident captured on cellphone video by Eleanore Sunchild and posted online that allegedly showed an Indigenous man being attacked in Battleford.
Battlefords RCMP got a call about an assault around 6:50 p.m. on July 17 in the 100 block of 17 Street East in Battleford. Police say a man was approached by three males he didn’t know and one of the men assaulted him. All three had left the area before officers arrived and the victim, who is from Poundmaker First Nation, was given medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
The video online sparked outrage across the province.
In a statement issued by FSIN, lawyer Eleanore Sunchild said the attack was racist and seemingly an act of vigilante justice, which resulted in her friend being brutally assaulted. The alleged assault occurred in her yard in Battleford and she captured the attack on video and posted it on social media.
FSIN said the victim was unhooking a trailer while his six-year-old daughter sat in the vehicle at a home in Battleford when the three non-First Nations men approached him on the property.
“The attacker struck him and then proceeded to pull him to the ground by his braid and further [assaulted] the man with a knee to the face. The entire group then left.”
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