Man in Quebec charged with armed assault after throwing ball at referee

SHERBROOKE, Que. — A Quebec soccer player has been found guilty of assault after he injured a referee by throwing a ball that struck his head.

The incident occurred during a particularly heated match in Sherbrooke in June 2017.

Ruben Dario Meza Lazaro, 35, was found guilty this week of armed assault and assault causing bodily harm.

“In this case, the court has insisted the object (a soccer ball) can be a blunt object depending on how it is used,” Sherbrooke La Tribune quoted Crown prosecutor Isabelle Dorion as saying.

The newspaper said two players refused to leave the pitch in the first half when the referee gave them red cards. He ended up abandoning the match with 38 minutes left.

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A total of between 10 and 15 players from both teams surrounded the official before he received the ball on the back of his head.

The accused, a native of Colombia, testified he wasn’t aiming for anyone in particular when he threw the ball.

But Quebec court Judge Helene Fabi disagreed.

“The court is convinced the accused was intentionally aiming for the plaintiff and used force against him without his consent,” Fabi said.

Defence lawyer Audrey Parizeau told the court her client does not have Canadian citizenship.

“I don’t know why I threw the ball,” Meza Lazaro said. “I can’t imagine being expelled from Canada or losing my job just because a touch of the ball.”

The victim testified he has suffered health consequences health and that he has been off work since the incident.

Meza Lazaro said he was not aiming for the referee.

“It’s hard to apologize to the referee when it wasn’t my intention to hit him,” he told La Tribune. “I don’t know why I threw the ball.

“If I had wanted to attack a referee, I wouldn’t have done it with a ball. I would have used my hands.”

He gave the middle-fingered salute to reporters after the verdict was handed down.

“I was frustrated in leaving the courtroom because I don’t find the verdict fair,” he said.

Sentencing arguments are set for Sept. 10.

(Sherbrooke La Tribune)

The Canadian Press