A judge in Labrador has dismissed charges of aggravated assault against a man accused of two brutal beatings that occurred in his Happy Valley-Goose Bay home.
Anton Russell, 27, was charged after two men were found unconscious in August in the house where Russell had been staying.
Police found the beating victims had been drinking and had passed out before someone beat them with an iron poker. Both sustained severe injuries, and one is still recovering.
Russell, who could not be found for two weeks, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault.
But on Monday, Judge William English dismissed the charges, finding that there was no physical evidence linking Russell to the beatings.
As well, the witnesses all failed to identify Russell during a preliminary hearing. One of the victims was too intoxicated to remember his attacker, while the other could not be located to testify.
Another witness, who had also been severely intoxicated, could only describe an attacker who was wearing a white hoodie while standing over the victims.
Outside the court, Russell said he was blamed for the crime not because of the evidence, but because of his reputation. He is well-known to police in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
