Beer bottle tosser who knocked out 8 teeth awaiting sentencing

A Niagara man who tossed a beer bottle out of a moving car, striking a pedestrian in the face and knocking out eight of his teeth, will return to court in June to learn his fate.

Jack Beattie, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines to a charge of assault.

On June 18, 2018, court was told, Beattie was a passenger in a vehicle travelling down First Street Louth in St. Catharines.

The vehicle approached a man who was walking down the street and the defendant “rolled the window down, and put the upper half of his body out the window,” Crown attorney Michal Sokolski told the judge. Beattie threw a beer bottle at the pedestrian, striking him in the face.

Court was told the victim lost eight teeth and suffered lacerations to his face and head.

The driver of the car, who knew the victim, continued driving down the street before dropping off the occupants in her car. She then returned to the victim and drove him to a local hospital.

The victim required several stitches to close the lacerations to his face and he also had to undergo extensive dental work to repair the damage. Sokolski asked the judge to postpone sentencing in order to give the defendant time to raise money to cover the cost of the victim’s dental work. Beattie is to return to court June 27.

“He understands that every cent he can spare ought to be given to me and put in a trust and earmarked for the victim,” lawyer Kim Vanderlee told Judge Donald Wolfe.

The judge told the defendant that restitution “will be an important factor in sentencing.”