For the teen, the part he doesn't like to talk about because it's too painful is hearing his dad sob as he arrived at the school to see his son strapped to a board.

"I had never seen him cry before. I wanted to give him a hug," he told Justice Donald McLeod at a sentencing hearing of another teen charged with assault.

The Grade 11 student at St. David Catholic Secondary School in Waterloo described how he was kicked in the groin by a fellow student and one-time friend on Oct. 2.

He was taken to hospital as a precaution because he has scoliosis, which contributes to an unusual gait and a poor sense of balance. He has issues affecting his speech and is on the autism spectrum.

The assault was the culmination of repeated taunts and bullying that the teen experienced at the hands of the other student. Both teens cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

A 16-year-old youth, who was represented by his father, pleaded guilty to one count of assault in a Kitchener courtroom Wednesday. He was sentenced to 12 months' probation and 150 hours of community service to be completed within a year.

The charged youth was given a five-day school suspension at the time of the incident.

He cannot have contact with the victim except when at school.

McLeod acknowledged the case was unusual and thanked both sets of parents for being respectful and supporting their children through the traumatic experience.

To the victim, whose mother told the court that he had suicidal thoughts after the assault, McLeod said he wasn't going to feel sorry for him because he was strong.

"If you were not here, your voice would be gone. That would be tragic," McLeod told the boy. "Your parents treat you like the young man you are. I think you can overcome."

In an unprecedented move, McLeod, a judge from Brampton, stepped down from the bench after passing his sentence and approached both families and the teens and shook each of their hands. The parents and the youths thanked him.

Court heard that both boys were friends before starting high school. They attended the same Catholic elementary school and both families knew each other.

But in Grade 9, the taunts started. The accused boy would text the victim to invite him to a party, but then tell him not to come because no one liked him.

Crown prosecutor Adam Campbell said that on Oct. 2, the charged youth called out to the victim to come into a closet off the music room. A group of other students were in the closet when the lights went out and the teen was kicked in the groin.

In a victim impact statement, the victim said he was scared because he couldn't see. He thought the charged teen wanted to talk to him as a friend.

"The thing I hate the most is you took away my ability to talk to people. For a really long time, I didn't want to go to school," he said.

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"The worst part is he used to be my friend in Grade 8."

In her victim impact statement, the mother of the victim said the assault terrorized her son, bringing on depression and anxiety.

The mother said the youth lured her "broken and fragile" son into a windowless room and "hit our defenceless son."

She recalled how when she arrived at the school, her son said to her, "Now do you believe me that everyone hates me?"

"This incident has shaken us to the core," she said, referring to sleepless nights staying up with her son to comfort him. He lost two credits last semester.

The mother said tweets by the charged youth shortly after the assault added to their pain. She described tweets as flippant in which he said he was "finally let off the hook" and "this is blown out of proportion."

"The emotional scars will be with him for the rest of his life," she said.

The charged youth cried as he apologized to the victim and his parents.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he sobbed. "I'm sorry because we used to be friends. I take full responsibility for my actions."

In his remarks to the judge, the father of the accused, who turned himself in to police days after the assault, said the episode has been difficult on his family. He said his son had a "momentary lack of judgment."

"He is a kind-hearted, compassionate 16-year-old," he said. "He has been paying for it ever since."