WILEVILLE - A local woman who assaulted a man she was in a relationship with received an absolute discharge in what the court referred to as a case possibly "on the lowest end" of the domestic violence scale.

 Provincial Court Judge Jim Burrill in passing sentence on Patricia Pearl Young suggested an absolute discharge was the right thing to do in this case.

 "The offence could be described as an offence of domestic violence at the lowest end of the scale of violence that we do see before the court," Judge Burrill said during provincial court in Bridgewater, August 5. "That's not to diminish in any way the fact that domestic violence either committed by a male or female individual is a serious matter."

 Ms Young, 50, pleaded guilty June 3 to a charge of assault. The offence occurred during a May evening following a disagreement between a man and woman at a Horton Avenue residence.

 The man "left to pick up her key from his house so he could return it to her. Upon his return she became upset … she stood a few feet away from him inside the door and he was at the door when she slapped him in the face at that point," Crown attorney Lloyd Tancock told the court.

 The court heard Ms Young has sought counselling on her own accord and that she is remorseful and embarrassed about the incident.

 She and the man remain friends but are no longer in a relationship.

 "In the light of all that I've heard about the circumstance and all that I've read in the pre-sentence report, this is one of the rare cases where I do feel that I am convinced that an absolute discharge is in the best interests" of Ms Young, Judge Burrill said.

posted on 08/11/09