By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 35-year-old man was ordered to pay $2,500 in compensation to a 36-year-old woman after admitting to slapping her hip and assaulting her at a bar on First Street earlier this month.
Gregory Lafleur appeared before Senior Magistrate Shaka Serville, charged with indecent assault and assault. He was seen using a crutch in court.
The incident occurred at Bam’s Bar around 7.30pm on May 17, when Lafleur reportedly slapped the complainant’s hip. When confronted about his behaviour, he allegedly assaulted her further.
Lafleur pleaded guilty to the charges.
While Lafleur claimed he only touched the woman’s rear in an attempt to get to the bathroom, the complainant told the magistrate he slapped her hip “as if she were his woman”.
She added that after she slapped and kicked him in response, he struck her twice. She emphasised that the blows were not light and said that Lafleur also destroyed her $850 phone during the altercation. Her voice trembled in court as she recounted the incident, stating she believed the charges should have been more severe.
The complainant said she missed four days of work due to the incident. Although she occasionally saw the defendant at the bar, she said she did not know him personally and was shocked by his behaviour toward a stranger.
Inspector Cordero Farrington, the prosecutor, confirmed that the defendant had no prior convictions.
Magistrate Serville remarked that indecent assaults could be deeply demoralising and noted the complainant felt dominated by Lafleur’s actions.
Lafleur apologised to both the court and the complainant, stating he had been drinking at the time.
He was granted a conditional discharge on the condition that he remains on good behaviour. He was also ordered to pay the complainant $2,500 in compensation or face a six-month prison sentence.
Lafleur must pay $1,000 by June 27, followed by monthly payments of $600 until the debt is fully repaid.
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