Canadian Lynda White was assaulted last November by an "aboriginal woman" who yelled "I hate white people" and proceeded to knock out White's tooth.
A judge has ruled that White's assailant was not motivated by racial hatred:
White was outside a Calgary, Alberta, pub with a male friend Nov. 1 when a female acquaintance of [Tamara] Crowchief approached and asked for a cigarette, the Calgary Herald reported.
After giving the woman a cigarette, White and her friend struck up a conversation with her until Crowchief approached the group. That’s when all of a sudden, Crowchief yelled, “I hate white people!” and punched White in the face, knocking out one of her teeth, according to the Herald.
When Crowchief and the woman began to walk away, White and her friend followed them and called the police, who arrived and arrested the offender a short time after.
The judge determined there was insufficient evidence to conclude the assault was a hate crime.
“The offender said, ‘I hate white people,’ and threw a punch,” Provincial Court Judge Harry Van Harten said in his ruling Tuesday.
“There is no evidence either way about what the offender meant or whether … she holds or promotes an ideology which would explain why this assault was aimed at this victim,” he said, adding that there was no reason to believe Crowchief was associated with a group that promotes racial hatred.
“I am not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that this offence was, even in part, motivated by racial bias,” he said.
The judge also agreed with the defense position that Crowchief had spent enough time in jail and released her on 12 months probation.
