WINNIPEG -- A young Winnipeg man dumped and left for dead in a putrid West End garbage bin after being savagely beaten by teenagers remains in the fetal position in a city hospital bed, the Crown told court Thursday.

The 23-year-old victim is "basically a vegetable" today, suffering from a brain bleed and facial fractures after being trounced in a Spence Street back lane on the morning of July 7, prosecutor John Barr told provincial court Judge Tracey Lord.

He had no injuries below the neck, Barr said.

Area residents heard the victim's moans as he helplessly tried to move the trash that was covering him. They came to his aid and called police.

"The only way to describe the beating that resulted in (the victim's) hospitalization -- and hospitalization to today's date -- is gratuitous violence," Barr said.

Lord was tasked with deciding whether to release two 17-year-old boys accused of attempting to kill the man.

The Crown opposed either being freed pending trial.
Lord ultimately agreed to release one of the boys citing his lack of prior record and lesser alleged involvement in the assault. However, she refused to bail out the other, citing a need to protect the public.

Court heard the victim was trounced after turning up at a Spence Street drinking party where he "made a pass" at a girl there, drawing the ire of his attackers.

The exact circumstances of the advances he made remain murky, Barr said.

"Whether he touched her, whatever he did, the group of (suspects) became upset," Barr said. "They didn't like it -- the beating began."

The boys, along with a 15-year-old girl, were ultimately arrested for attempted murder in the days that followed the disturbing attack. The girl was released last week with the consent of the Crown.

Court heard the teen who was denied bail was on probation at the time and has ties to the Native Syndicate street gang. He has a prior conviction for a non-violent offence.

Defence lawyers for each boy stated there were serious issues with the police investigation and how cops handled the youths while in custody.