A 73-year-old man believed his pipe-wielding attacker wanted to kill him in a parking lot almost two years ago, Red Deer court heard on Tuesday.
Garth Comfort of Bentley testified that he also thought Leona Loucine Haggarty had set him up for the attack that left him with a concussion and badly broken forearm on Jan. 16, 2008.
Haggarty, 27, of Red Deer is charged with aggravated assault and uttering a death threat.
Comfort told Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench that he was led to the parking lot in the 3700 block of Gaetz Avenue late at night in an attempt to get his wallet back.
It had been stolen a few days earlier by a female friend of Haggarty.
Haggarty arranged the time and place and sat with Comfort in his pickup.
After waiting several minutes, Comfort told Crown prosecutor Murray McPherson he thought a “bomb had gone off” when a male known only to the victim as “Chucky” slammed a metre-long steel pipe on his truck.
Comfort scrambled to exit the truck out the passenger side but was set on by the attacker.
The first blow broke his right forearm. He also suffered a deep cut on the top of his head that left him bleeding profusely.
Comfort asked his attacker why he was beating him and “Chucky” replied, “This is coming from Leona,” Comfort testified.
“They wanted to kill me,” he said.
He also said Haggarty set him up. “She said ‘Get him,’ ” Comfort said.
Comfort said Haggarty was standing about seven metres from the beating.
Comfort also testified Haggarty said, “Kill him.”
Comfort admitted under questioning by defence lawyer Patty MacNaughton that Haggarty never hit him.
He said he had been friends with Haggarty for about 18 months and had tried to help her get off drugs, but attempts failed so the relationship soured.
MacNaughton asked Comfort if his recollection of the incident was correct because of inconsistencies in a police statement.
Comfort said the statement made a few days after the attack may have been incorrect because he suffered from concussion, was on heavy medication and in pain.
MacNaughton asked Comfort if he was scared and if Haggarty was scared as well, which is why she hung back.
“I think she was quite enjoying it,” Comfort said.
The attacker was never charged.
The trial continues.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com