A man who assaulted a young supermarket worker after a dispute over the price of biscuits has been ordered to pay fines of more than $1000.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Christopher John Darman, 59, of Malua Bay, pleaded guilty to charges of common assault, unlawful entry on inclosed lands, and behaving in an offensive manner in a public place in relation to the incident at the Malua Bay IGA on June 3.
According to police facts tendered to the court, Darman approached the young female worker about 2.55pm and made enquiries about the price of an item and whether she could sell it for a cheaper price.
The woman told Darman she wasn't the right person to speak to and attempted to continue stocking shelves, however Darman blocked her path down the aisle and wouldn't leave her alone despite her attempts to end the interaction.
The facts state another customer soon approached the young woman, but Darman interrupted their conversation, causing the customer to leave.
He then asked the woman if she knew his name before reaching around her to remove a marker from her back pocket. He then grabbed hold of her right hand and forced her long sleeve up, and told her he was going to write his phone number on her arm.
Police facts state Darman called his victim "hot" several times during the interaction, and at one point asked her when she would be showering next.
The victim managed to break away from Darman's grasp and went to the back office of the store, but Darman followed her in.
Once inside, the store manager asked Darman to leave and advised him he would be taking photos of him in the store.
The manager followed Darman as he walked outside to make sure he left the premises, but the facts state Darman instead turned and grabbed a phone out of the manager's hand before throwing it on the roof.
The facts state the entire incident was captured on CCTV and "clearly depicts the events".
In court, Darman's lawyer told Magistrate Doug Dick the facts were "bewildering".
"I've spoken to Mr Darman about his reasons for acting like this, and he maintains it was because the biscuits weren't priced as marked in the IGA catalogue," he said.
"I can submit that Mr Darman's mental health has suffered since the bushfires, and he's not in a frame of mind where he can accept help."
Magistrate Doug Dick convicted Darman on all three charges and fined him $1400. He must also provide his fingerprints and a photo to local police.