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Victim of 2009 West End gay bashing dies

Ritch Dowrey had lived in care facilities since being knocked unconscious in a Davie Street pub

By Dan Fumano, The Province February 1, 2015 6:05 PM

A Vancouver man has died, after spending the final five-and-a-half years of his life with permanent brain damage suffered in a 2009 assault that a judge said was motivated by “virulent homophobia.”

Ritch Dowrey had been in care facilities and unable to live independently since sustaining a catastrophic brain injury when he was sucker-punched at a Davie Street pub in March 2009. He was 62 at that time.

Dowrey died Saturday around noon, a family member confirmed.

His attacker, Shawn Woodward of Vancouver, was convicted of aggravated assault in 2010. In sentencing Woodward to six years in jail, Judge Jocelyn Palmer said the “outrageous” unprovoked assault fit the framework of a hate crime.

On March 13, 2009, Dowrey was at the Fountainhead Pub in Vancouver’s West End, spending a Friday night with friends, shooting pool and celebrating his retirement.

Dowrey was left unconscious when his head struck the floor after he was punched once in the face by Woodward, who was 35 at the time.

In her reasons for sentence, Palmer wrote in 2010: “It is clear from the Victim Impact Statements filed by Mr. Dowrey’s brother, son and daughter that they feel they have lost the man he was prior to March 13, 2009. It is tragic that on the day he was celebrating his retirement all his future plans were cancelled by a single punch.”

Dowrey was a “super cheerful, positive guy” who loved his family and his sports — especially football and his beloved B.C. Lions — said Lindsay Wincherauk, a friend of Dowrey, who witnessed the assault.

Looking back at that “devastating” night, Wincherauk recalled Sunday how he and a group of men followed Woodward out on to Davie Street after the attack and detained him until police arrived.

“I confronted him and said, ‘Do you understand what you’ve just done?’ And he started shouting out ‘The faggot touched me. I’m not a fag.’ And a whole bunch of horrible, horrible things,” Wincherauk said Sunday.

In November 2010, Woodward’s sentence of six years in jail was welcomed by gay community leaders, who expressed satisfaction the judge had treated motivation as a key factor in a tough sentence.

Woodward filed an appeal, but in May 2011 the B.C. Court of Appeal dismissed it, upholding the original sentence.

Two years later, in May 2013, Woodward was granted full parole, less than halfway through his sentence, according to a report from Xtra, a gay and lesbian news outlet.

The Xtra report quoted the Parole Board of Canada’s decision, which said Woodward believed his sentence was “too punitive,” and noted that he had “demonstrated genuine remorse.”

Dowrey’s death marked a “tragic day,” said Dara Parker, executive director of QMUNITY, B.C.’s queer resource centre.

It was a stark reminder, Parker said, that despite some hard-won progress “there are many people who still experience discrimination that ranges from subtle homophobia to overt physical violence.”

The assault was “particularly disturbing, Parker said, “not because it’s unique in terms of a gay bashing — but that it happened in our village, in a gay pub, in a perceived safe space.”

Ritch Dowrey, gay-bashing victim at Fountainhead Pub in 2009, dead

"He's never been the same person since the attack and never would be again," said a friend

By On the Coast, CBC News Posted: Feb 02, 2015 8:11 PM PT Last Updated: Feb 03, 2015 1:14 PM PT

Ritch Dowrey, the victim of a gay-bashing incident at a West End pub in 2009, died this weekend.

In March 2009, Dowrey went to the Fountainhead Pub to celebrate his retirement. He was punched without warning and left with permanent, profound brain damage. The court ruled that he was targeted because of his sexual orientation.

"He's never been the same person since the attack and never would be again," said Brian Wawryhsyn, a friend of Dowrey's.

Dowrey's friend Lindsay Wincherauk described him as a kind, carefree man who was always encouraging his friends. He loved boating and sports, the BC Lions in particular — he went to almost every game.

After the attack, Dowrey lived in care facilities. Wincherauk visited him for several years, but he said Dowrey couldn't recognize any of his old friends and he never regained the use of his legs.

Dowrey's attacker, Shawn Woodward, was convicted of aggravated assault in 2010 and sentenced to six years. He was released on parole in May 2013.

Jennifer Breakspear, former executive director of Qmunity, a LGBT resource centre, said the case still resonates within the community.

"This man's life was completely altered and well cut short by this brutal attack," said Breakspear. "That that would only merit three years in prison is appalling."

To listen to the full interview with Dowrey's friend Lindsay Wincherauk, click on the audio labelled Ritch Dowrey, gay-bashing victim at Fountainhead Pub, remembered by friend.