Musician claims he was assaulted trying to recover stolen guitar

A Charlottetown man testified in court Friday that he was assaulted when he attempted to reclaim his stolen guitar.

Josh Wolf told the court that his $600 bass guitar was snatched in the short moments he left it sitting outside his Spring Park Road residence last year.

When he saw the guitar listed for sale for $350 on Kijiji, an online classified ad service, at an address near his home, he marched off looking to get his instrument back.

He was greeted at the door by Kenneth Raymond Bernard, the accused on trial for assault.

Wolf testified that Bernard told him that he did not have the guitar.

He came back a short time later, this time with his girlfriend, to ask more aggressively for the return of his guitar.

He said Bernard struck him with a combined push/shove.

Wolf testified that he did not see the bass in Bernard’s home, and he did not ever recover the instrument.

Wolf’s girlfriend took the stand, basically backing Wolf’s account.

Charlottetown Police Const. Robert Larter testified that he responded on Aug. 21 to a report of an assault on Spring Park Road.

After speaking to Wolf and his girlfriend, the officer spoke to Bernard.

Larter testified that Bernard said he found a bass guitar “that was garbage’’ and had sold it on Kijiji.

The trial was adjourned to June 8 when the defence is expected to call at least one witness.