Cousins who beat up a 45-year-old man on Sask. farm sentenced
Two cousins who beat and tied up a 45-year-old man on a farm near Melfort in 2022 were given a two-year sentence on Monday, which will be served in the community.
Thirty-six-year-old Adam McLean and 60-year-old Peter McLean were sentenced to serve their time in the community after pleading guilty to assault causing bodily harm against Christopher Hawkins.
Hawkins was an agronomist who struggled with his mental health.
RCMP said Hawkins walked onto the McLean farm to take photos of combines in August of 2022, when he was beaten bloody and bound with cable ties.
Court saw surveillance video that showed Hawkins pulled from his vehicle and repeatedly kicked. He laid still on the ground while the men yelled slurs at him.
“What the f**k are you doing in this yard,” a voice could be heard from the video.
“Do not f**kin’ move or you’re gonna be hurt.”
Eventually two RCMP officers arrived at the scene and Hawkins was taken to hospital. He died about a month later.
An autopsy report said there was no evidence the assault played a role in his death. According to the report, he died of a hemorrhage caused by pre-existing health conditions, noting he had a history of severe alcoholic liver disease.
An RCMP report found two officers were negligent in the investigation, since Hawkins was arrested at the scene, and his sister was later told the McLeans couldn't be charged because the victim had died.
Wiping away tears, Hawkin’s sister Shanda Tansowny read victim impact statements on behalf of his loved ones.
“There is no one who loved and supported a farmer and farm life more than my brother,” Tansowny said.
She acknowledged farmers in the area struggle with theft, but said her brother meant no harm. She said he went to the farm that day to look for work.
Hawkins was described as a “happy-go-lucky” guy, and a loving husband and father.
The McLeans stood up in court to apologize for their actions.
When Adam apologized to the family, Tansowny responded “thank you” from the gallery.
When delivering his decision, Justice Lloyd Stang said the video played in court made him angry. Stang said he believed Hawkins was not trespassing, but rather going to the farm as a “cry for help.”
He handed both men a conditional sentence order of two years, less a day, meaning they will serve time in the community, not behind bars. Afterwards, Adam will be on probation for two years and Peter will be on probation for one year.
Charges against Adam for forcible confinement and assault with a weapon and charges against Peter for forcible confinement and uttering threats were stayed on Monday.
–With files from the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7013489.1724586186!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Feds identify 56 government properties for conversion to affordable housing
The federal government has added 56 properties to a new public lands bank of locations that are suitable for long-term leases so developers can build affordable housing.
Security robots are starting to join the ranks of human guards. Here's what we know
From New York to Hawaii, people can spot security robots equipped with a suite of sensors patrolling the perimeters of some residential communities and apartment buildings.
What the two Boeing Starliner astronauts will do in space until 2025
When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore left Earth for International Space Station nearly three months ago, they ditched their bags for a key piece of equipment. Helming the inaugural crewed flight test of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, they departed without their own toiletries and other personal comforts — expecting to return to Earth within a week or so.
Babe Ruth's 'Called Shot' jersey sells for record US$24.1 million
The jersey worn by Babe Ruth, widely regarded as the greatest baseball player of all time, during Game Three of the 1932 World Series became the most expensive item of sporting memorabilia after selling at auction for US$24.12 million on Saturday.
Organizing your space may help your kids' transition back to school, according to a design expert
Organizing your home may help reduce you and your children's stress when they go back to school this September, one design expert says.
How a new, digital wall is changing the way independent films are produced
A state-of-the-art LED wall is the backdrop to a new horror thriller film being produced in Saskatchewan.
Coating clothes with this simple material could cool your body by up to 8 degrees
Spending time outside during a heat wave can be sweaty, uncomfortable, even health-endangering, but scientists have come up with an innovation they say could provide relief: clothes that physically cool down the body.
How to avoid the worst of jet lag and maximize your travel time
It's the bane of many travellers: jet lag. Nobody wants to lose out because they're too tired to enjoy the delights of their vacation spot.
Israel and Hezbollah trade their most intense fire in months and then pull back
Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded heavy fire early Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war, as both sides signaled their most intense exchange of fire in months was over.