Filipino chef gets suspended jail term for slapping 14-year-old boy

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The Morrison Hill park is a favorite among skateboard enthusiasts (Photo: Wanchai Worm)

A Filipino chef who admitted slapping a 14-year-old French boy during a dispute in a Wanchai playground was given a six-day jail term, suspended for one year, when he appeared in Eastern Court today, Mar 31. 

S. Bermejo was charged with one count of common assault for the incident that happened on Monday, Mar 29, in the Morrison Hill playground. 

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Court records show Bermejo, a Hong Kong resident, went to play on the skateboard ground in the park at around 6:25pm, but ended up getting into a dispute with the victim over a trivial matter.

In the heat of the argument, Bemejo slapped the boy with his bare hands, hurting his nose. Scared, the boy dialed 999 and reported the incident. He also called his parents.

When police arrived, they saw Bermejo, the boy and his parents at the playground. They took the boy to nearby Ruttonjee Hospital for a medical check-up, where doctors found he had swelling and tenderness in the nose.

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Bermejo was arrested and he admitted the offense during questioning at the Wanchai Police Station. The next day, he again admitted the assault in a statement taken with the help of a Tagalog interpreter.

The prosecutor said Bermejo had two previous convictions not similar to the present case.

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During mitigation, the duty lawyer representing Bermejo said the defendant was was working part-time as a chef earning $5,000 a month. He asked the magistrate impose a fine instead of a jail sentence. 

But Law said that after taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea, his previous records, and the boy’s age, a jail term was appropriate, though he decided to suspend it for 12 months.

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That means Bermejo cannot reoffend within this time or he will have to go to jail immediately to serve his sentence, plus whatever is meted him for the later offence. 

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