A woman who admitted hitting another woman in the head with her high-heeled shoe during an altercation at Surrey Christian Secondary last year was handed a conditional discharge for the offence last week in Surrey Provincial Court.
Judge Ellen Gordon, noting Lien Ai Dang’s obvious embarrassment over the incident, told the 34-year-old mother of three Wednesday that she would not be stuck with a criminal record for the assault provided she keeps the peace for a year, stays away from the victim and pays $320.70 restitution for medical expenses incurred as a result.
Gordon heard the incident occurred on July 1 in the 15300-block of 92 Avenue.
“It turns out the accused was seeing the same boyfriend as the complainant and this was over him,” prosecutor James Lees said.
The victim suffered injuries to her face and neck, Gordon heard.
The incident was reported to police just after 6 p.m. When officers arrived, a 36-year-old woman was being treated by paramedics for a head wound; she and another woman both blamed each other for the altercation.
Cpl. Bert Paquet said Dang turned herself in to police on Sept. 2. Defense counsel Daniel Redekopp described the incident as a “matter of a love triangle, so to speak,” and said his client is “taking full responsibility for her actions.” She has already completed 16 hours of counselling, he said.
Dang told Gordon the boyfriend in question had brought the victim to the scene, and that things escalated to the point she actually chased her. Asked why she took her shoe off in the first place, Dang said it was because she couldn’t run in her heels.
Gordon said Dang taking the initiative to undergo counselling “speaks volumes about how troubled you were” over what happened.
She gave Dang, who works part time at a South Surrey nail salon, until Jan. 31, 2014 to pay the restitution.