A hockey coach who pleaded guilty to assault for tripping a 13-year-old during a post-game handshake has suffered enough and shouldn't be subjected to house arrest, according to his lawyer.
Richmond Provincial Court heard last week how Martin Tremblay is no longer allowed to coach minor hockey nor continue as a Scout leader.
Crown counsel Gerri-Lyn Nelson had earlier in the day recommended 30 days' house arrest and 18 months' probation for Tremblay, who admitted assaulting two hockey players, aged nine and 13, by tripping one of them in a post-game handshake.
After a day-long hearing, Judge Patrick Chan delayed sentencing Tremblay until Feb. 26. The incident took place on June 23, 2012, following the fifth game of a hard-fought five-game series at UBC's Thunderbird Arena. It was recorded on video and shows Tremblay sticking out a foot to trip one player, which caused a second player to fall to the ice. Uploaded to YouTube, the video has had about 2.5 million views.
Robert Bellows, the lawyer representing Tremblay, read in court a letter of apology that the accused sent to the two boys last November. Tremblay wrote "words can't really express how terribly I feel about the events of that afternoon.
"I should not have stuck my foot out," Tremblay said in the letter. "I take full responsibility for what occurred."
- Full story at www.richmond-news.com.
