ANTIGONISH: A father and son charged in relation to a case where vigilante justice was carried out in Guysborough County have been found guilty by a judge in Antigonish Provincial Court.
Marie Joseph natives Eric Victor Pace, 66, faced one count of dangerous operation of a motor vessel and Richard Pace, 47, was charged with uttering threats and mischief causing danger to life.
The father and son entered not guilty pleas during an election-and-plea hearing in October, they stood trial in Antigonish Provincial Court on July 5.
Both men were found guilty on July 14 when Judge Bill Digby delivered his oral decision; the pair are scheduled to return to court on September 22 for a hearing to set a date for sentencing.
RCMP say an operator of a fishing boat purposefully struck another fishing boat on May 13, 2018. While no one was hurt, as a result of the incident, one boat was physically damaged.
The incident was curtailed from a recent fishing license change in the area; however no illegal fishing was taking place.
Austin Chambers and his wife Tanya purchased a licence in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 32 from a fisherman in Three Fathom Harbour.
Their son, Terrance, was fishing under the family’s new licence onboard The Joint Account and was hauling gear, when fisherman Richard Pace, who also holds a licence for LGA 32, bolted towards them.
RCMP responded to an assault complaint one night later on May 14, 2018, when Blair Fleet, who was a deckhand on Pace’s boat, was physically assaulted at his Ecum Secum home.
The Chambers’ showed up to Fleet’s residence and asked him to come outside to talk about something, and when he did, Fleet claims he was punched repeatedly, and when he fell to the ground and looked up, it was Terrance Chambers.
After Terrance was charged with assault over the lobster fishing dispute a few days later, a third party, Jesse Asprey, who was assisting the Chambers that day, confessed to RCMP in Sherbrooke that he was the one who assaulted Fleet at his home.
However, despite confessing to the incident, Asprey isn’t currently being charged with the assault.
Terrance Chambers, 29, was convicted of assault causing bodily harm in February. He received an eight month conditional sentence, including six months of house arrest and two years of probation.
Austin Chambers, 54, of Ecum Secum plead not guilty to an assault causing bodily harm charge in November 2018, and was found not guilty by the judge in December 2019.