A youth from this region has been convicted for his part in the beating of an elder on Vancouver Island. Keith Too Prince, 18, was sentenced Tuesday to serve one year in jail.
A second male has been convicted but is not yet sentenced, and cannot be named due to his age. A third suspect, Prince's cousin Joshua Prince, 18, was originally arrested but had his charges stayed.
The incident occurred Jan. 7 in Nanaimo as the victim, a 74-year-old man, went for a mid-afternoon walk in Mafeo Sutton Park.
"The incident began when the victim was approached for a cigarette by one of the three [accused]," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien. "When he told them he did not smoke, he was followed along the walking path that lead underneath the Pearson Bridge."
The man was then body-checked to the ground, stomped on and punched repeatedly by the attackers. He was robbed of $30 and left with a broken shoulder that required surgery.
"The vicious assault only stopped when a nearby pedestrian heard his screams and yelled at the youths to stop," O'Brien said. "This worked and the three took off running. Other nearby pedestrians also came to his assistance and called 911."
Two of the accused were arrested within 20 minutes, the third was arrested that same evening.
Keith Too Prince, said O'Brien, was from the Fort St. James area but had been in Nanaimo for the past couple of years. He also has ties to Edmonton.
The victim is now recovering at home, with months of therapy expected.
