Second alleged victim testifies in assault trial against Travis Patron

The second day of trial for Travis Patron, the former leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party, mirrored how the first day ended.

The man, accused of assaulting two Regina teachers in November 2019, sat silent when he was given the chance to cross-examine one of the alleged victims, Amanda Ruschiensky.

Patron is charged with two counts of assault causing bodily harm. He is representing himself in court and has pleaded not guilty.

The victims, Ruschiensky and Allison Tokarz, have both testified as part of the crown’s evidence.

On Tuesday, Tokarz testified that the two women went out for drinks at Victoria’s Tavern following a tribute concert at the Casino Regina on Nov. 1, 2019.

The women met two men at the bar, who happened to be with Patron that night, Tokarz said.

“I got a bad feeling from (Travis) from the start,” Tokarz told the court.

The whole group made their way to The Fat Badger, Tokarz said, but she does not remember seeing or talking to Patron after that.

At the end of the night, the women walked to an apartment building on Victoria Avenue to see if one of Ruschiensky’s friends was home, she testified. While they were standing outside of the building, Tokarz said a “tall figure” approached them. It was Patron.

He offered the women a ride home, Tokarz said, but they repeatedly declined.

In Ruschiensky’s testimony, she said at that point Patron hit her across the head. However, Tokarz did not see that happen.

“My head was down in my phone, I had my hood up. I did not realize he had hit Amanda,” Tokarz said.

Ruschiensky followed a couple that had opened the front doors with a key card, and “ushered” Tokarz into the apartment building, according to testimony.

Tokarz said she “didn’t realize that we were in a situation that we needed to be worried about,” and she opened the door to go outside to wait for an Uber.

Tokarz said that is when Patron walked in and allegedly slapped her across the face.

“So hard that I fell down and when I fell, I tried to brace myself,” she testified, adding that is how she broke her wrist.

“I tried to get up and he hit me down again. And he left.”

Surveillance video from inside the apartment foyer shows a man hitting a woman to the ground, before grabbing another woman.

After the alleged assault, Rushiensky called 911 while the women waited inside the building.

Both women admitted to having some drinks that night.

A Regina Police Service constable testified that the women were “slightly intoxicated” when officers arrived on scene, which is why the police waited until the next day to gather the women’s official statements.

Tokarz testified that she had to miss a few days of work to “decompress,” and she needed to wear a brace for six weeks to heal her broken wrist.

Physically, she said she is fine, but emotionally she is still suffering.

“I always want to believe the best in people and now that’s been destroyed,” Tokarz said. “This changed my life forever. I’m definitely going to be a lot more careful, a lot more guarded.”

Patron opted not to cross-examine Tokarz, the same way he declined to question Ruschiensky.

The crown has submitted all of its evidence.

Patron closed his case after choosing not to testify or call any witnesses.

Both sides are expected to give their closing arguments to the jury on Thursday morning.

Patron has been remanded at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre.

Patron ran for the Canadian Nationalist Party for the riding of Souris-Moose-Mountain in the 2019 federal election.

The Canadian Nationalist Party was registered as an official party on Sept. 15, 2019.

The party was involuntarily deregistered on March 31, 2022, according to Elections Canada, after the party failed to meet the Canada Elections Act requirement of at least 250 members at all times.