A former Victoria Royals hockey player who seriously injured another young man at a New Year’s Eve party in 2015 has received a conditional discharge and will be on probation for 18 months.
Taylor Crunk, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm to Kieran Lauridsen.
Victoria provincial court Judge Adrian Brooks said he believes Crunk understands how to separate the motivations of sport from off-ice behaviour and should not be defined by the worst moment in his life.
“At the end of the day, it would be contrary to the public interest to put up roadblocks in the way of a young man who has acted out of character and without any real premeditation and is now remorseful,” Brooks said. “It is a situation which would create, for him, more disproportionate consequences.”
Brooks ordered Crunk to complete 150 hours of community service in the next six months and to take counselling, including anger management, if directed to do so by his probation officer. Crunk was also ordered to give a sample of his DNA and to pay a victim-fine surcharge of $500.
If Crunk abides by his probation conditions, he will not have a criminal record. This means he could still go to university and play hockey in Canada. He is currently playing for a team in the ECHL.
Court heard that Crunk was at a Saanich house party with several of his teammates. Both he and Lauridsen had been drinking. Lauridsen walked by Crunk and bumped into his shoulder. Crunk believed the bump was intentional. Although there was some hostility between the two, it didn’t come to anything.
Unfortunately, one of Crunk’s friends started arguing with Lauridsen, who threatened to knock out Crunk’s teammates, Brooks said. Crunk believed Lauridsen was about to knock out his teammate and he punched him. Lauridsen fell to his knees and Crunk punched him two or three more times.
Brooks found it significant that Lauridsen did not fight back. The judge also noted that these events happened very quickly.
Although he did not characterize the assault as a sucker punch, Brooks found the fight was not consensual and that Crunk’s behaviour was criminal.
In his victim impact statement, Lauridsen, who sat in the front row of the courtroom with his parents, described the assault as life-altering. His eye socket was fractured, causing his eye to sink in and giving him double vision. He suffers daily from moderate to severe headaches.
“There is a piece of plastic in my face which is acting like a hammock to hold up my right eye. … That has resulted in a droop above my right eye. This is permanent,” Lauridsen wrote in his statement. “My eyesight may return to normal, but I will never again have the same facial features. Remember, I am 22 years old.”
Before he was sentenced, Crunk told Brooks he was deeply sorry for what happened to Lauridsen.
“Never, at any point, did I have intention to injure him. My only thought was to protect my friend, who I believed was in imminent danger,” Crunk said.
“My on-ice role may be one that includes being tough, gritty and a physical player. … I’ve never looked for a fight away from the rink, but something in me will always look out for the best interests of those I care about. And that’s exactly what happened on Jan. 1, 2015.”
Calling the decision difficult, Brooks said he could not let the seriousness of Lauridsen’s injuries dominate a just and proportionate sentence. Brooks did not believe a jail sentence was appropriate.
