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What was supposed to be a lighthearted Halloween social spent with friends turned into a terrifying ordeal for a Winnipeg man after he was attacked by a total stranger, spent days in a coma and needed months off work to recover.
Prosecutors are now seeking a three-year prison term for Leigh James Bryant, 25, who admitted Thursday he was responsible for lashing out and pummelling the victim, possibly believing he was being mocked over a drink-spilling mishap.
Bryant pleaded guilty to a single charge of aggravated assault in the Court of Queen?s Bench stemming from the Oct. 30, 2010 incident.
Bryant and the victim separately attended a weekend costume-party social at the Travelodge Winnipeg East hotel on Alpine Avenue.
Bryant purchased a number of shots and was trying to navigate a crowded area with the drinks on a tray near where the victim ? dressed as a ?rescued Chilean miner? in honour of the internationally-acclaimed rescue mission ? was standing nearby with friends, Crown attorney Scott Cooper said.
Somebody, but not the victim, bumped Bryant and his shooters tumbled, drawing his ire. When he looked up, he saw the victim laughing, Cooper said. However, evidence showed he just happened to be laughing while talking with someone else, said Cooper.
?Whether Mr. Bryant took that as laughing at the fact that he dropped the drinks or not is not entirely clear ? however, what Mr. Bryant did is approach (the victim) and punched him once in the face,? the Crown attorney said.
The punch caused the innocent partygoer to tumble backwards down a small flight of stairs. Bryant hit him again as it happened and the victim bashed his head on the floor.
As he lay out cold, Bryant slipped on his rubber party mask and fled out an exit door. The victim spent five days in a coma, suffered a brain bleed and it was feared he?d suffered a permanent brain injury.
After extensive rehabilitation, including speech therapy, the victim regained his health.
?Luckily he made a full recovery through significant efforts of his own,? said Cooper.
Medical reports will be tabled when the case returns to court in June.
Defence lawyer Eric Wach will request a two-year sentence for Bryant, court was told. No information was provided Thursday about Bryant?s background or personal circumstances.
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