A 20-year-old Langley man has been found guilty in the November, 2014 beating of a man in Langley City — an attack that outraged many in the community.
On Oct. 6, a provincial court judge in Surrey found Mathew Samms, 20, guilty of assault causing bodily harm and robbery in connection to the beating of Chris Lafrenier, who suffered a head injury during the altercation.
Samms had pleaded not guilty and a trial that took three days included the accused taking the stand as well as the victim.
Samms will be back in court Jan. 21, 2016 for a pre-sentence report.
Samms’ friend, a 16-year-old Aldergrove boy, had already pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year for assaulting and robbing Lafrenier. His name can’t be published because he is a young offender.
The 16-year-old testified at Samms’ trial that he’d kicked the victim in the head at least 15 times. Lafrenier had to take time off work and was unable to pay rent for a month.
The community came together, raising around $10,000 for him. Another person supplied Lefrenier with a turkey dinner for Christmas and food for his pets.
