Sky’s Story:
An Assault Scenario
Scenario
Sky is a 16-year-old Indigenous youth who has had growing tension with another student, Maya. For weeks, the two had been arguing online and at school, and the conflict became a topic of conversation among their peers. Eventually, a rumour spread that the two were going to “settle it” with a fight after school.
On a Friday afternoon, Sky and Maya met in the park near the school. Dozens of students showed up after hearing about the fight through social media and group chats. Many of them had their phones out, recording as the two argued and pushed each other. The argument quickly escalated, and Sky punched Maya several times. Maya fell to the ground, and the crowd could be heard cheering and yelling. Multiple videos of the fight were later shared online.
Maya suffered a bloody nose, bruising, and scratches. She was shaken and embarrassed, especially after realizing the videos were being shared widely on social media. The police were called after the videos reached staff at the school. Sky was later arrested and charged with assault causing bodily harm.
The Crown will argue that Sky chose to participate in the fight, that her actions caused physical injury and humiliation to Maya, and that the incident was made worse because it happened in front of a large crowd and was shared online. The Defence will argue that Sky was pressured into the fight, that it was not planned by her alone, and that she did not intend to cause serious harm but reacted in the heat of the moment.
The case is now being brought before the court.
Roles in the Courtroom
Sky – The student accused of assault.
Sky’s Defence Lawyer(s) – The defence lawyer’s job is to tell Sky’s side of the story in the courtroom. Multiple people can be in this role.
Crown Lawyer(s) – The Crown lawyer works for the community and the government. Their job is to try to prove that the accused person did break the law. Multiple people can be in this role.
Maya the Victim (Crown Witness) – The person who was allegedly assaulted by Maya.
Jordan Bystander (Crown Witness) – Was there when the fight happened and recorded it.
Ava Sky’s Friend (Defence Witness) – Who has been friends with Sky for a long time.
M. Redsky Teacher (Defence Witness) – Sky’s current teacher.
Court Clerk - The court clerk is the judge’s helper. They say “All rise” when the judge comes in and swear in all the wtinesses.
Jury - The jury is a group of regular people from the community. They sit together in court and listen carefully to the trial. Multiple roles.
Courtroom Artist(s) - A courtroom artist is someone who draws pictures of what happens in court because cameras are not allowed in Canadian courtrooms. The artist helps people see what it looked like by sketching the judge, lawyers, witnesses, and the accused.
The Public - The public means regular people who come to watch a trial. They might be family, friends, reporters, or anyone interested. The public does not talk or take part in the trial. Their job is to listen quietly and respectfully. Having the public watch helps make sure the trial is open and fair. Anyone without an assigned role.
The Evidence
Below is all the Evidence or the “Disclosure” in your Mock Trial Scenario.
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I know the fight looks really bad, but I want people to understand what happened. Things between me and Maya had been tense for a while. She kept saying things about me online and at school, and people started asking if we were going to fight. I didn’t even want to, but everyone kept talking about it until it felt like I had no choice.
On Friday, a group of kids told me Maya was waiting at the park. When I got there, there were already a lot of people standing around with their phones out. I felt like everyone was expecting me to do something. When Maya and I started arguing, she shoved me first, and I reacted. I hit her a couple of times, but I didn’t mean for it to go that far.
I didn’t plan to seriously hurt Maya. I just wanted it to be over so people would stop talking about it. I feel embarrassed that it got recorded and shared online. I regret not walking away.
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Sky and I haven’t been getting along for a while. It started with small arguments, then people started making it bigger by asking when we were going to fight. I told Sky to meet me at the park after school.
When we got there, there were so many kids already waiting. People had their phones out, yelling for us to fight. Sky and I started arguing, and then she hit me. She punched me more than once and I fell to the ground. I had a bloody nose, scratches, and bruises. It was really painful, but what hurt even more was when I saw the video later and realized people were sharing it online.
I didn’t expect it to blow up like that. I feel humiliated and scared to go to school because I am all beat up and everyone has seen the video.
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My name is Jordan. I was at the park when the fight happened. A lot of people showed up because it had been going around on Snapchat and in group chats. Everyone knew Sky and Maya were going to fight.
I saw them yelling at each other. Maya shoved Sky, and then Sky punched Maya a few times. When Maya fell, the crowd went crazy, people were yelling, cheering, and some were laughing. I recorded the fight on my phone because everyone else was. Later, I sent the video to a group chat, and that’s how it spread.
Watching it again, I can see Maya got seriously hurt. I didn’t think about how serious it was at the time, but now I realize it looks really bad.
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I’m friends with Sky. I know Sky didn’t want to fight Maya. She told me multiple times she wanted to just ignore it, but other kids kept pushing it and making it bigger. By Friday, everyone was saying it was going to happen at the park, and Sky felt like she had no way out.
When the fight started, I saw Maya shove Sky first. Sky only hit her after that. I think Sky was reacting because she was embarrassed and angry in front of the crowd. Sky is not usually violent, and I think she felt trapped by all the pressure from everyone watching.
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I teach Sky at school. I’ve known her for two years. She usually does well in class and has not been involved in physical fights before. She can be outspoken, but she’s also responsible and cares about her peers.
From what I’ve learned about this incident, it seems Sky was caught in a situation that escalated quickly. With a large group of students watching and recording, there was a lot of pressure. While I don’t excuse what happened, I don’t believe Sky intended to cause serious harm to Maya. I believe this was an impulsive mistake rather than planned violence.
