The accused, a practicing lawyer, pled guilty to assault after a street altercation involving mutual racial slurs and spitting, during which he threw the first punch and bit off a portion of the victim's ear lobe.
The Crown sought a suspended sentence and criminal record, while the defence sought a conditional discharge.
The court granted a conditional discharge with six months of probation, emphasizing the devastating collateral consequences the accused had already suffered to his career and the principle of parity, given that the other combatants received no criminal convictions.
