Woman In Canada Pleads Guilty In Racist Attack On A Kenyan Immigrant

A woman who taunted an African immigrant with racial epithets before unloading a can of bear spray in his face while he shopped at an Edmonton convenience store pleaded guilty Thursday to charges stemming from the incident.

Lacey Dawn Snyder, 22, admitted she and a friend repeatedly called Valentin Masepode a "n——" while he talked on his cellphone in a 7-Eleven on Sept. 27, 2009.

The attack culminated when Snyder approached Masepode and said, "I have something for you n——," before deploying a can of bear spray in his face, the provincial court heard.

Masepode did not know Snyder or her co-accused, Dylan Alfred Trommel. The assault was entirely unprovoked, court heard.

Snyder pleaded guilty to one count of criminal harassment and one count of assault with a weapon.

Trommel was sentenced to 60 days in jail earlier this year for the incident, but Snyder must return to court this fall to be sentenced.

Trommel told Masepode, "This is our country," as he was taunted, Crown prosecutor Tania Sarkar told court.

According to the agreed statement of facts, Snyder deployed the bear spray in Masepode's face, burning his eyes and nasal passages. Two teenagers standing nearby were also affected by the spray.

The entire incident was caught on videotape.

In an interview with the Edmonton Journal earlier this year, Masepode said he had never before been the target of the racist language he heard at the store that night.

"I was very shocked because I like to maintain the peace and this just happened out of nowhere," he said.

Masepode, who moved to Canada from Kenya with his family in 2001 and is a student, said he accepted the apology that Trommel offered in court when he was sentenced in May.

"I accept his apology because he's still a young kid, growing up," he said at the time.

Snyder's defence lawyer Kent Teskey said his client was drunk at the time of the incident.

He asked for a pre-sentence report to be completed and Snyder will be back in court Sept. 16.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Woman+pleads+guilty+racist+attack/3475556/story.html