Jamie

FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Moffatt twins testify in Calgary assault case

CALGARY -- Members of defunct Canadian boy band The Moffatts took centre stage of a different kind yesterday -a Calgary courtroom.

Identical twins Clint and Bob Moffatt testified as Crown witnesses in an assault trial in which their friend, Stephen Hotchkiss, had his orbital bone broken.

The Nashville-based musicians flew into Calgary just in time to give evidence about a Sept. 8, 2004, aggravated assault outside a southwest bar. They were at Shillelagh's Pub with Hotchkiss and their older sibling, Scott, when an argument broke out between their brother and his ex-girlfriend's new beau.

Clint, who was standing with Hotchkiss, said his friend was knocked to the ground and kicked in the face, while Bob said the victim was sucker-punched and then kicked.

Both identified Calgarian Blake Kennedy Cronk as the assailant, although Bob said he couldn't be sure the man in court was the same person he later picked out of a photo lineup. The case continues.

Source: http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2008/02/06/4829852-sun.html


Moffatts take stand
 
Boy band twins both witnesses in alleged bar attack on friend

By KEVIN MARTIN, SUN MEDIA

Members of defunct Canadian boy band The Moffatts took centre stage of a different kind yesterday -- a Calgary courtroom.

Identical twins Clint and Bob Moffatt testified as Crown witnesses in an assault trial in which their friend, Stephen Hotchkiss, had his orbital bone broken.

The Nashville-based musicians flew into Calgary just in time to give evidence about a Sept. 8, 2004, aggravated assault outside a southwest bar.

They were at Shillelagh's Pub with Hotchkiss and their older sibling Scott when an argument broke out between their brother and his ex-girlfriend's new beau.

Both testified Yvonne Brunelle was leaving with a group of people when her new boyfriend flicked a cigarette at Scott.

Scott, angered at being shown so little respect, followed the group outside and got into a heated verbal exchange with Brunelle's then-boyfriend, they told Crown prosecutor Deven Singhal.

Defence lawyer John Turner suggested Scott was mad because they weren't being shown the reverence their celebrity status warranted.

"Did he say 'show some respect, we're The Moffatts?' " Turner asked Clint.
"I wouldn't put it past him to say something like that, but I didn't hear that," the witness said, smiling.

Both said the dispute died down when the bar's manager threatened to call the police and their party was returning to Shillelagh's when Hotchkiss was jumped from behind.

Clint, who was standing with Hotchkiss, said his friend was knocked to the ground before being kicked in the face, while Bob said the victim was sucker-punched and then kicked. Both identified Calgarian Blake Kennedy Cronk as the assailant.

The Moffatts, comprised of the twins, fraternal triplet Dave and Scott, broke up in 2001, but had been performing together in 2004, minus Dave.

Turner said he will call defence evidence today.

Outside court, the twins said they're working on a new album which will take them back to their country roots.

Source: http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/02/06/4829941-sun.html



FEBRUARY 7, 2008

Bar fight suspect denies assault

By KEVIN MARTIN, SUN MEDIA

   
The suspect in an assault witnessed by members of the defunct Canadian boy band The Moffatts yesterday denied kicking a Calgary man in the face.

Blake Kennedy Cronk, 22, said he couldn't have attacked Stephen Hotchkiss outside a city bar because he was assaulting The Moffatts' lead singer at the time. Cronk told defence lawyer John Turner he was angered by a comment Scott Moffatt made during an altercation outside Shillelagh's Pub on Sept. 8, 2004. Cronk said he raced after Moffatt and pushed him in the chest, knocking him to the ground during the scuffle in the bar's parking lot.

He said while this was occurring, someone else attacked Hotchkiss, a claim backed up by several defence witnesses, including Abe Kabalan, who said it was he, not the accused, who sucker-punched the victim.

But Kabalan, testifying under protection of the Canada Evidence Act, said he didn't kick Hotchkiss in the face while he was on the ground.

In evidence called by Crown prosecutor Deven Singhal on Tuesday, Hotchkiss, along with two other Moffatts, Clint and Bob, identified Cronk as the assailant. Scott Moffatt, now working in Thailand, was not called as a witness. The brothers were performing at the time, though the group officially split up in 2001.


Source: http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/02/07/4832093-sun.html



FEBRUARY 8, 2008

Defence lawyer claims ID process ‘faulty’

Sun Media
Friday February 08, 2008
CALGARY – The man fingered as the assailant in an assault witnessed by three members of the defunct boy band The Moffatts is a victim of mistaken identification, his lawyer said Thursday.

Defence counsel John Turner said the process which led to Blake Kennedy Cronk being identified at the man who assaulted Stephen Hotchkiss was flawed.

Turner suggested Cronk was singled out because his name surfaced as being among the crowd present when Hotchkiss was injured outside Shillelagh’s Pub on Sept. 8, 2004.


Friends of the victim then looked for his name in a high school yearbook and, recognizing his picture, pegged him as the assailant, Turner said.

‘‘It’s a faulty identification process,’’ he told judge Bruce Fraser.

But Fraser noted while Hotchkiss admitted viewing the yearbook photo, neither of the two Moffatt brothers who testified did.

Both Bob and Clint Moffatt, who comprised half the former Juno-nominated band with their brothers Dave and Scott, testified they picked Cronk out of the line-up as the man who attacked Hotchkiss.

Source: http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/Provincial%20News/374901.html



Mistaken ID claimed in assault case

By KEVIN MARTIN

The man fingered as the assailant in an assault witnessed by three members of the defunct boy band The Moffatts is a victim of mistaken identification, his lawyer said yesterday.

Defence counsel John Turner said the process which led to Blake Kennedy Cronk being identified as the man who assaulted Stephen Hotchkiss was flawed.

Turner suggested Cronk was singled out because his name surfaced as being among the crowd present when Hotchkiss was injured outside Shillelagh's Pub on Sept. 8, 2004.

Friends of the victim then looked for his name in a Springbank high school year book and, recognizing his picture, pegged him as the assailant, Turner said.

"It's a faulty identification process," he told provincial court Judge Bruce Fraser.


"Someone gave the name of Blake Cronk, someone looked in the yearbook to find Blake Cronk and that picture was put into the photo lineup."

Fraser said while Hotchkiss admitted viewing the yearbook photo, neither of the two Moffatt brothers who testified for the Crown did.

"I can't see how it taints the evidence of either of the Moffatts when they completely deny they ever saw any yearbook," the judge said.

Cronk, 22, is charged with aggravated assault in the incident in which Hotchkiss suffered a broken eye socket.

Source: http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/02/08/4834507-sun.html