Brothers in viral Saskatoon beating video plead guilty to assault charges

A pair of brothers pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from a vicious assault captured on video in November 2015.

Twenty-eight-year-old Darren and 25-year-old Darcy Hinds were recorded as they attacked two men near the Specklebelly’s Brew Pub on Central Avenue. The brothers, who used to play as linemen for the U of S Huskies, were seen in the recording knocking two men, 32 and 43, to the ground and then repeatedly punching and kicking them while they were down.

Court heard the altercation began when one of the victims remarked on the brothers’ weight as they were walking by. The beating left one of the victims with serious damage to his eye.

As part of an agreement with the Crown, the Hinds brothers entered guilty pleas to aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm. The Crown agreed to drop a charge of uttering threats.

The pair were sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle acknowledged the public’s disgust with the video, but said his clients deserved some credit for coming back from their home in Alberta to face the music, sparing the victims from having to testify in a trial, and likely avoiding tens of thousands of dollars in costs to the legal system.

“They used good judgement in terms of approaching this thereafter by turning themselves in, coming back and negotiating a resolution that made sense for everybody,” he said.

Pfefferle said that with the guilty plea, the brothers acknowledged their behaviour was out of line, but he noted the incident was not a random attack, and said it contained lessons for everyone involved.

“Similarly one would expect that a mid-40’s man wouldn’t make comments about young men’s weight after bar hours, I guess is my comment” he said.