A man who grabbed his stepdaughter by the shoulders and hair as he forced her down stairs has been ordered to complete 180 hours community service.
The district judge told the 40-year-old: “It wasn’t your fight and what worries me is that you were so quick to visit violence on a female.”
Pawel Berdzik, of Fairgreen Park in Keady, appeared for sentencing on one count of common assault at Armagh Magistrates’, sitting at Newry, on Tuesday.
Prosecution outlined that on September 26, police attended a report of an incident at an address in Fairgreen Park, Keady.
The defendant’s stepdaughter told police he had grabbed her by the shoulders and hair forcing down the stairs of the property towards the front door.
Berdzik was arrested and taken to Banbridge Custody Suite, where he made admissions to the offence.
Defence barrister Conor Coulter stated: “I know your worship’s views on domestic violence….but those red flags are not in the presentence report. He doesn’t attempt to victim blame, to minimise or contextualise, none of that is here.”
District Judge Bernie Kelly interjected: “Except for the fact that females are alright for manhandling….He was called upon by a member of the female sex and in the process hurt and caused upset to another female, that is what has to end.”
Mr Coulter commented: “It wasn’t his fight to begin with. If he was going to take any part in that argument. It should have been a verbal.”
District Judge Kelly stated: “No, he should have gone ‘I’ll be back later sweetheart’, gone out the door and took himself wherever until the pair of them had sorted whatever issue there was between them.”
Mr Coulter said: “He is remorseful, he admits this at the time, he is appalled at his attendance at court…if he hadn’t left the room or disassociated himself from the property for an hour or two hours this wouldn’t have happened.
“His partner’s daughter has now removed herself from the property and there have been no issues whatsoever since.”
District Judge Kelly stated: “It wasn’t your fight and what worries me is that you were so quick to visit violence on a female. Domestic violence is such a serious issue in society and it always worries me when I see anyone who thinks that it’s OK to visit violence on the opposite sex.”
Berdzik was ordered to complete 180 hours of community service.
