Lawyer’s Attack on St. Thomas Family Linked to Drugs

Mark Phillips, a lawyer from Toronto, was in a state of “drug-induced psychosis” due to heavy marijuana use when he attacked a family with a baseball bat in St. Thomas last December, as stated in a psychiatric evaluation.

A report from a psychiatrist presented at the Elgin County Courthouse on Wednesday indicated that Phillips had consumed significant amounts of marijuana without realizing how it affected his mental condition.

The personal injury lawyer from Toronto pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of assault causing bodily harm and listened quietly as Mari Zambrano, Sergio Estepa, and their 13-year-old son Nick shared the impact the attack had on their lives.

He received a conditional discharge and will not have to serve any time in jail.

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“I never raised my son to be afraid of others,” said Estepa, who received hospital treatment for a broken rib and bruises after the incident.

“I never raised my son to be attacked with a baseball bat in broad daylight simply because of his color or appearance.”

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Estepa experiences panic attacks and feels angry about what transpired. He has many questions, wondering why Phillips targeted them and why there was a baseball bat in his car’s passenger seat.

The defense attorney, Steven Skurka, mentioned that his client spent six hours with psychiatrist Dr. Peter Collins. The assessment detailed how Phillips felt “targeted and assaulted by strangers, most of whom were Muslim.”

Skurka noted there were other incidents during the 36 hours before the attack where Phillips had an argument with a construction worker, was removed from the Air Canada Centre, and was “acting strange, talking to himself, and being loud” at a Tim Hortons in Woodstock.

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During the assessment session, Phillips told Collins he couldn’t recall how he ended up at Elgin Mall but remembered feeling threatened by Estepa’s family and their friend. Skurka explained that Phillips believed they were staring him down and thought Nick was “baring his teeth.”

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Steven Skurka addresses reporters with his client, Mark Phillips (middle), and co-counsel (right). Liny Lamberink/980 CFPL

The cellphone footage captured during the incident shows Phillips approaching the family in the parking lot; he yells that they’re “terrorists” before retrieving a baseball bat from his vehicle for another approach.

The court learned that Phillips used cannabis because he thought it helped him think more clearly; he smoked three or four joints prior to heading out to London and St. Thomas. The psychiatrist’s report indicated that THC from cannabis caused his drug-induced psychosis.

However, now that he’s stopped using marijuana, Skurka informed the court that Phillip’s “parents stated he’s no longer paranoid and can engage in lengthy normal conversations.”

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Nearing two months after this event occurred, Phillips wrote an apology letter to the victims which Skurka read aloud in court.

The letter began with: “I’d like to sincerely apologize to you, your family, and your family friend.”

The note continued by stating after viewing cellphone footage of what happened; Phillips felt “horrified , embarrassed , and deeply humiliated.”

“You and your family are good people , and deserve to be treated with utmost respect and dignity,” he wrote.

Crown attorney Lisa Defoe recommended that Phillips should receive a suspended sentence coupled with three years probation while Skurka argued instead for just conditional discharge. They both agreed this incident wasn’t classified as hate crime.

The judge decided on granting him conditional discharge along with three years probation; Phillips is required to complete 240 hours community service , attend counseling sessions , avoid contact with all four victims , and refrain from using any non-prescription drugs even if marijuana becomes legal this summer.

After leaving court , 13-year-old Nick Estepa expressed satisfaction about closing this chapter when speaking with reporters outside.

“We can move forward now,” he mentioned. “Things can almost return back towards normal.”

“Before everything changed I could go hang out at parks until maybe eleven o’clock but now things feel different. The anxiety level is high among us all.”

Earlier during proceedings Nick revealed feelings regarding fear towards white cars & men wearing beards since shortly after what transpired.

As part of victim impact statement submitted earlier today ; he showed judge creative artwork depicting image representing threat made against them featuring bold phrase “you don’t belong here”.

“It’s kind-of similar creating movie poster,” said Nick.

“Being first-generation Canadian comes along struggles ; those words hit hard upon me.”

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