A 66-YEAR-OLD man who hit a woman over the head with his walking stick has been spared jail.
Joao Catanho Lopes, who pleaded guilty to grave and criminal assault, received a six-month prison sentence yesterday suspended for one year.
The assault happened in Parade Gardens on 20 August last year, the Magistrate’s Court heard.
Crown Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, said the victim and friends had been in the park and Lopes, who seemed to be drunk, approached them.
She said: ‘The victim said people were chatting and enjoying themselves. Someone turned on some music and the defendant started dancing, waving his walking stick from side to side.
‘Then he raised his stick and hit her over the head. She said he did it with some force. She was bleeding.’
Advocate Taylor added that the assault seemed unprovoked, saying: ‘She was shocked. She couldn’t believe what had happened.’
The victim was taken to the Emergency Department for a short time.
‘She had headaches for weeks afterwards,’ the advocate said.
Lopes at first denied the offence, only changing his plea to guilty in July.
He followed court proceedings through a Portuguese interpreter, with Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, saying: ‘While it is unfortunate that Mr Lopes didn’t plead guilty sooner, it took considerable time to explain to him the judicial process.’
He added: ‘This was entirely out of character. Mr Lopes has no criminal record.’
Relief Magistrate Nunes Da Costa described it as ‘a very serious offence’ and told Lopes: ‘You used your walking stick as a weapon, and hit a woman who was minding her own business and was no threat to you.’
He warned him that if he commits another offence within the next 12 months he will have to serve the prison sentence, and told him: ‘Do not go anywhere near the woman in future.’
