A sentencing hearing for three men involved in beating up and stealing from a Richmond brothel operator has been adjourned because the judge had concerns about the recommended sentence.
Isaac Lee, Thomas Vu and Xiaoxi Yang pleaded guilty in February, on the first day of their trial, to one count each of theft and assault causing bodily harm. They were initially facing six charges each.
The sentencing hearing began with Crown submissions in provincial court in Richmond on Monday.
According to those submissions, on Jan. 15, 2014 around 1 a.m. Yang visited an apartment in the 8300-block of Anderson Road — which was being used as a brothel run by two men. The men, P and D, cannot be identified because of a publication ban.
Yang stayed for nearly two hours, then told P and D that he had forgotten his wallet in his vehicle. P accompanied him to retrieve the wallet and take payment.
When they reached the vehicle, three men got out - Lee, Vu and a third, unidentified, male. One was carrying a tire iron or crowbar and a second was armed with a knife and a roll of clear packing tape.
The man with the knife and tape held the knife to P's throat and tried to put tape over his mouth while someone - believed to be Yang - told P to get into the vehicle.
P fought back and was hit over the head. P ended up on the ground, where he was kicked by the third male and hit repeatedly with the bar.
The joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence called for two-month jail sentences for each man, followed by probation. The Crown suggested eight months of probation, but defence counsel have not agreed to that length of probation.
After hearing from the Crown, Judge Patrick Chen said he wanted a pre-sentence report for Lee - reports had been prepared only for Vu and Yang - medical reports for the victim and case authorities supporting the recommended sentence.
The hearing was adjourned until Aug. 13.
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