The only adult charged in the brutal attack of a St. John’s high school student told a provincial court judge on Tuesday that he deeply regrets his role in an assault that left a teenager critically injured.
In a long and moving speech, Tyler Greening — who was 18 when he and several teenagers bludgeoned a student at Prince of Wales Collegiate — expressed regret for participating in the March 2023 assault.
Greening told Judge Jacqueline Brazil the attack still plays through his mind “like a movie,” haunting him daily.
“Every day I have felt regret and shame,” he said. “Not once was I aware that things could have escalated so quickly into something that nearly ended … an innocent boy’s life.”
Greening, who was out of school and working full time when he picked up several teens to assault a Prince of Wales Collegiate student on school grounds, stressed that he turned to flee when the others pulled weapons and used them on the teen.
He apologized to the victim, his family and the school community, and expressed shame for his involvement.
“I was stunned, terrified at what I just saw, disgusted at the fact one of these guys was laughing after what he’d just done,” he said. “I froze instantly. The only thing I could think was why in God’s name was I there?”
Greening told the court he knew he had to talk to police but feared retribution from the teens. He also said he considered suicide in the months following the attack, as members of the public sent his family threats.
“I truly hated myself,” Greening said.
Greening’s lawyer, Robert Hoskins, asked the judge to sentence Greening to house arrest followed by a probation of two to three years.
Hoskins argued that Greening met the conditions for house arrest and had stayed out of trouble since being charged with aggravated assault, had pleaded guilty to the charge, and had shown remorse for his actions.
The lawyer said Greening, who is now expecting a child, would benefit from continued oversight and guidance in the community.
“I don’t want him to go the wrong way. Nobody does,” Hoskins said, adding Greening had a limited role in the attack.
“A young person … was swept up in this situation.”
Prosecutor Nicole Hurley argued Greening was operating as a full-fledged adult at the time of the attack and should be considered as one at sentencing.
Hurley is asking for 18 to 24 months in prison.
Four other teens involved in the attack have all been sentenced to time served at the at the Newfoundland and Labrador Youth Centre in Whitbourne. Their sentences ranged from 18 to 24 months, the maximum youth sentence.
Brazil will hand down her sentence for Greening on Nov. 28.
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