Man 'high on bath salts' beat girl, 7, unconscious in attempt to steal her little pink bike

An Alaska jury has convicted a man of assault and robbery charges for delivering a knockout punch to a then-7-year-old girl when she refused to give up her bike. Byron Syvinski, 34, of Anchorage, was convicted on Wednesday of robbery and six counts of assault in the June 2011 incident. He was accused of punching Am-marie Martin in the head. She fell unconscious and he allegedly hit her several more times. KTUU reported the child, who is now eight years old, was present in the courtroom to hear the verdict. However, she did not testify during the trial.

The vicious attack left Am-marie with skull fractures and a brain injury. Although she has since recovered, her mother said the little girl still suffers from headaches and has difficulties reading and writing. Police said Syvinski appeared to be delirious during his arrest. The defense said he was using bath salts, which mimic effects of cocaine and ecstasy, but there was no trace of them in his system following the attack. During the trial, the doctor who treated Syvinski after the attack confirmed the diagnosis of drug-induced psychosis, rejecting the idea that the defendant was suffering from a mental illness.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2179084/Man-guilty-beating-girl-7-unconscious-attempt-steal-little-pink-bike-high-bath-salts.html