Referee assault case adjourned 30 times

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on January 13, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

After having his assault charge adjourned some 30 times since he was accused of attacking a referee more than two years ago, 57-year-old Robert Farrell Creighton’s matter has been adjourned again.
An agent for Creighton’s lawyer, Dean Zuk of Calgary, appeared in Lethbridge provincial court Wednesday and asked to adjourn the case one more time until Feb. 1.
The agent explained that although Zuk has been in touch with his client, they’ve been unable to meet for a proper meeting to discuss resolving the charge.
Crown Prosecutor Adam Zelmer noted defence had previously been provided an early case resolution proposal, but the Crown is still waiting for a response.
“This file has quite some history,” Zelmer added.
Creighton was charged in relation to a three-on-three hockey tournament Sept. 15, 2019, during which a young 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.
During the subsequent melee, 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 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.
Creighton was charged with Todd William Cross Child and both men initially pleaded not guilty and were set to stand trial a year ago. It was cancelled, however, after the men’s lawyers said the case would be resolved without the need for a trial.
Cross Child pleaded guilty last June to one count of assault and was given a four-month conditional sentence, to be served in the community, and for which he was placed on curfew. He was also placed on probation for eight months, to begin at the conclusion of his sentence.

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