Convicted Gay Basher Shawn Woodward Sentenced To Six Years In Jail

Provincial court judge Jocelyn Palmer Monday sentenced Shawn Woodward to six years in jail for an attack on Ritch Dowrey in Vancouver, British Columbia in March, 2009, that left the now 62 year old Dowrey suffering from permanent brain damage, reports the Globe and Mail. Woodward was convicted in August of aggravated assault and the crown prosecutor had asked that Judge Palmer find that the attack was a hate crime, punishable by a six to seven year sentence. Today, Judge Palmer did not explicitly say that Woodward committed a hate crime, but did say “I see no other possibility for Mr. Woodward’s abhorrent behaviour ... than virulent homophobia,” adding that the aggravated assault did “fit the framework” of a hate crime. Dowrey had been celebrating his retirement and play pool at a popular downtown gay bar, the Fountainhead Pub, when he briefly placed his hand on the shoulder of the then now 38 year old Woodward, and offered to buy him a drink; an offer Woodward declined. Woodward, about to exit the bar, punched Dowrey on the right side of his face, knocking him to floor, unconscious. Outside, apprehended by patrons and staff, Woodward said Dowrey was a “faggot” and that “he deserved it.”