(To mods: I hope it's not against rules to post such info. Personnally, I figured it could be informative. You can double-check the story using the links I provided. As well, please feel free to move to another section if I made a mistake in that regard. Thank you!)
In a ruling rendered early in January by la Cour Municipale de Montréal (City of Montreal municipal court), Kingdom Gentlemen Club's manager Richard Blain and doorman Bernard Nicholls were each convicted on a count of assault causing bodily harm and on a count of public mischief. The decision stems from an incident that occured on April 5th, 2008, involving two American tourists who were celebrating their brother's "enterrement de vie de garçon" (could some1 translate that expression for me?). At the end of the evening, two strippers claimed they were owed forty dollars (40$), which the clients denied. One of them, an American Marine, stated that for professional reasons he had no interest in getting into a fight. Nonetheless, the situation quickly turned sour, as the two guys were separated, then punched repeatedly and thrown down the stairway, not before their clothes had been torn. Victims sustained teeth injuries, which required dental work, and suffered from persistent headaches.
In a scathing judgment, magistrate Phillippe Clément called the club's employees' testimonies "ludicrous, unbelievable and totally devoid of logic". The defenders' circumvoluted theory was that a hostile mob of patrons attacked the two Americans, yet became totally altruistic and helped the poor guys get back on their feet after they had tumbled town, or maybe went down by themselves (?), a flight of thirty steps, all the while after coming close to losing consciousness, but losing consciousness totally suddenly, without being hit or even touched. Clément, who did not buy an iota of that version, writes: "No. These American tourists truly have been assaulted, ripped off and let to fend for themselves with almost non-existent means once they were put back onto the street." He continues by stating: "Mr. R. admits that he was slightly drunk, which is normal when celebrating that kind of event. Yet that gives no one a licence to beat him."
As well, the judge is critical of the whole staff for what he calls "a concerted effort" in roughing up the victims. The bussboy, as the last witness heard for the defence, admitted that first and foremost: "il fallait bien se protéger entre nous." ("we had to cover up for each other, between ourselves").
Integrality of the decision, in French, can be found at: (R. vs Nicholls) http://www.jugements.qc.ca/php/deci...050ED5EE39229F3F779CCE0473DFEB30F16653&page=1 or (R. vs Blain) http://www.jugements.qc.ca/php/deci...73F772FD063EE5E226740D94BA47257C3A904B&page=1
(Please feel to translate the whole document, if anyone feels it can be helpful. IMHO it would be only a tad ambitious)
The Court will convene later for sentencing.
On the administrative side, it will be interesting to see if this ruling, notwithstanding an appeal, could spell trouble for the club's liquor license.
In a ruling rendered early in January by la Cour Municipale de Montréal (City of Montreal municipal court), Kingdom Gentlemen Club's manager Richard Blain and doorman Bernard Nicholls were each convicted on a count of assault causing bodily harm and on a count of public mischief. The decision stems from an incident that occured on April 5th, 2008, involving two American tourists who were celebrating their brother's "enterrement de vie de garçon" (could some1 translate that expression for me?). At the end of the evening, two strippers claimed they were owed forty dollars (40$), which the clients denied. One of them, an American Marine, stated that for professional reasons he had no interest in getting into a fight. Nonetheless, the situation quickly turned sour, as the two guys were separated, then punched repeatedly and thrown down the stairway, not before their clothes had been torn. Victims sustained teeth injuries, which required dental work, and suffered from persistent headaches.
In a scathing judgment, magistrate Phillippe Clément called the club's employees' testimonies "ludicrous, unbelievable and totally devoid of logic". The defenders' circumvoluted theory was that a hostile mob of patrons attacked the two Americans, yet became totally altruistic and helped the poor guys get back on their feet after they had tumbled town, or maybe went down by themselves (?), a flight of thirty steps, all the while after coming close to losing consciousness, but losing consciousness totally suddenly, without being hit or even touched. Clément, who did not buy an iota of that version, writes: "No. These American tourists truly have been assaulted, ripped off and let to fend for themselves with almost non-existent means once they were put back onto the street." He continues by stating: "Mr. R. admits that he was slightly drunk, which is normal when celebrating that kind of event. Yet that gives no one a licence to beat him."
As well, the judge is critical of the whole staff for what he calls "a concerted effort" in roughing up the victims. The bussboy, as the last witness heard for the defence, admitted that first and foremost: "il fallait bien se protéger entre nous." ("we had to cover up for each other, between ourselves").
Integrality of the decision, in French, can be found at: (R. vs Nicholls) http://www.jugements.qc.ca/php/deci...050ED5EE39229F3F779CCE0473DFEB30F16653&page=1 or (R. vs Blain) http://www.jugements.qc.ca/php/deci...73F772FD063EE5E226740D94BA47257C3A904B&page=1
(Please feel to translate the whole document, if anyone feels it can be helpful. IMHO it would be only a tad ambitious)
The Court will convene later for sentencing.
On the administrative side, it will be interesting to see if this ruling, notwithstanding an appeal, could spell trouble for the club's liquor license.
. But I might add this guy was massive. Full of muscles must weight well over 220Lbs.
