Trial date set in alleged hockey referee attack
By Shurtz, Delon on August 20, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
Two men charged after a referee and coach were attacked at a youth hockey tournament in Lethbridge last year are scheduled to stand trial, but not until next year.
Robert Farrell Creighton of Standoff and Todd William Cross Child of Lethbridge will stand trial over four days beginning Jan. 26 in Lethbridge provincial court. Creighton, 56, is charged with one count of assault, while 37-year-old Cross Child faces two counts of assault.
The two men were charged in relation to a three-on-three hockey tournament Sept. 15, 2019, during which a player got into a verbal spat with a referee, police reported. The youth struck the official with his stick and the referee pushed the player to the ice.
A group of coaches and a relative of the player then walked onto the ice, where a coach from the opposing team was allegedly shoved down and the ref was punched multiple times by two men before the altercation ended.
The accused pleaded not guilty to their charges during a brief hearing July 10 and were expected to set trial dates shortly afterward. During the hearing the Crown also elected to deal with the charges by summary procedure rather than indictment, which is more serious and can result in custodial sentences of up to five years for assault.
The annual Quest for the Cup tournament involved players between the ages of seven and 12 years and was organized by the Lethbridge-based skills development business, High Performance Hockey.
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