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Family 'completely caught off guard' after Kitchener, Ont. assault charges withdrawn

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The family of Justin Leckie, the man with a service dog who was forcibly removed from a Kitchener, Ont. restaurant last fall, is speaking out after assault charges against the two men involved were withdrawn.

Police were called to Milton’s Restaurant in Kitchener on Nov. 10, 2021 for reports of a man being assaulted. A widely-shared video of the incident sparked outrage online and a small protest at the restaurant. Two months later, police charged Louis and Athanasios Gianopoulos, the sons of the restaurant’s owner, with one count of assault each.

On Tuesday, all charges against the Gianopoulos brothers were withdrawn in court at the request of the Crown after the brothers made a combined $3,000 donation to the Canadian National Institute for Blind and wrote letters of apology to the customer.

As part of the agreement, prominent signage welcoming service dogs has been put up at the restaurant along with water dishes at multiple entrance points, a representative of the defence team said.

“Our family was completely caught off guard by this announcement,” a Leckie's family member told CTV News in an emailed statement, calling the development “very surprising”.

In 2021, Leckie told CTV News he was seated when two men approached him, demanding to see his service dog’s certification.

Leckie, who lives with Asperger’s, said the dog is a comfort to him.

“It seems to send the message that this behaviour may not be desirable, but it doesn’t cross the legal line regarding assault," the family member said. "Dropping these charges in light of the video sends a confused and mixed message from our perspective.”

The family member went on to say that the “small silver lining” is that the pending trial and general court process would have added to Leckie’s stress and was likely to trigger more anxiety.

The family said they hope this incident raised awareness and helps those who may struggle with mental health issues and disabilities.

“If it serves to better educate the public on these issues, and the value of trained service dogs, then it has created some positive benefits at the end of the day,” the family said.

The owner of Milton’s Restaurant declined to comment.

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