Russian student beaten in Calgary Remand Centre battles brain injuries Calgary Herald The sister of Denis Telyakov said he is suffering from brain injuries and his prospects for recovery are far from certain. “It could affect his mental life in the future,” said Elena Romanova, who came from Moscow to be at her brother’s bedside. The attack on Telyakov, 24, is the second serious assault on a remand centre inmate in recent weeks. On Monday, assailants entered the cell of Kristopher Cook, who is accused of faking cancer and fraudulently raising money to pay for treatment. Cook, 28, remains in hospital and missed a scheduled appearance in provincial court on Friday. Telyakov came to Calgary in June to learn English at a local ESL school. But at some point, Telyakov ran into trouble: police arrested him on Aug. 18 and charged him with uttering threats. Romanova acknowledged another male student at the English school had called police, but she said the complainant misconstrued an innocuous comment by her brother. “It was a misunderstanding,” she said. Family members in Russia were trying to arrange for bail when someone assaulted Telyakov inside a holding cell inside the remand centre on the evening of Aug. 20. Authorities haven’t officially released many details about the incident, other than saying Telyakov was sharing the cell with two 20-year-old men at the time. Police continue to investigate the assault. No charges have been laid. So far, Romanova doesn’t know what provoked the beating. The attackers jumped and stomped on Telyakov’s head, leading to the brain injuries that initially put him in a coma for several days. Telyakov is still largely unaware of his surroundings, but he is starting to respond to voices and can squeeze Romanova’s hand if she asks. “It’s better than it was a month ago,” she said. Still, Romanova said her brother is far from the same person who used to be capable of demanding manual labour on a farm in Russia. “He was a healthy and strong man,” she said. Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, which runs the remand centre, is also investigating the incident. |
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