Canada Day gaybashing hearing delayed again

Crown says he needs more time

The two men accused in the alleged Canada Day gaybashing on Davie St will return to court on Sept 14 after a brief appearance on Aug 19.

Alexandre Tchernychev and Aaron Alexander Hahn are both charged with assault causing bodily harm. They are both 21 years old.

Police were investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

Police said at the time that a man was walking with friends along Davie St near Burrard when they passed a group of men and women at about 2:45am on July 1.

Suddenly, a member of the group turned and verbally confronted the man, Vancouver Police Department (VPD) spokesperson Const Jana McGuinness said last month.

Words were exchanged and, without warning, the victim was allegedly punched in the face by his attacker, knocking him to the ground.

“Disturbing comments were also allegedly made regarding the victim’s sexual orientation,” McGuinness said.

Police said a second man allegedly joined the attack once the victim was on the ground. The alleged attackers fled but were arrested minutes later in the 1100 block of Davie.

Crown prosecutor Alex Henderson told Downtown Community Court Judge Elisabeth Burgess he needed more time to go through disclosure documents.

Tchernychev now has a lawyer, but the lawyer was not in court. Tchernychev attended court with his mother.

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