A UBC student appeared before Richmond Provincial Court on Tuesday for allegedly pushing and slapping a roommate while having a lobster dinner.
The incident took place on Feb. 24, 2022 at a UBC residence, Crown told the court. The accused, Yuxin Chen was having dinner with her roommates, including complainant Daisy Ding.
When Ding cut her thumb on a lobster shell and asked Chen for a Band-Aid, a disagreement over whether the Band-Aid was “done properly” soon escalated.
Comments about “food tasting poor” and cooking being “underappreciated” were made and the verbal fight turned physical.
“It escalated to the point where Ms. Chen threw the lobster dishes and other items on the kitchen counter onto the floor and pushed Ms. Ding across the room,” said crown counsel Anthony Toljanich.
Chen allegedly had both her hands on Ding’s neck, causing Ding to cough, although no allegations of choking were made.
“The roommates tried to intervene and asked Ms. Chen to go put slippers on because there was glass all over the ground,” said Toljanich.
As the roommates pulled Chen off Ding, Chen allegedly pulled on Ding’s collar and slapped her on the cheek.
Chen was subsequently arrested and released on Feb. 25, 2022. She appeared in person in Richmond court on Tuesday afternoon along with a Mandarin interpreter.
Ding has an ongoing fear of Chen, Toljanich told the court. The court was asked to impose a peace bond on Chen which would require her to keep the peace and commit no further offences.
“It sounds like the events of Feb. 24, 2022 got out of hand,” said Richmond provincial court Judge Bonnie Craig, who placed Chen under a peace bond for 12 months.
But Craig emphasized that Chen has not pleaded guilty to any criminal offence and the peace bond is not a sentence. This means that Chen will not have a criminal record.
“It looks to me like you became physically aggressive, and your roommates had to pull you off Ms. Ding. And I can imagine that must have been very frightening for Ms. Ding,” said Craig.
Chen is also forbidden from contacting Ding without her consent under the conditions of her peace bond.
“You need to be extra careful because you go to the school at the same university. If you were to run into her on the street or at a grocery store, what would you do?” asked Craig.
“I would stay away from her,” said Chen.
Chen could face a criminal conviction, jail time, or a fine if she breaches the conditions or commits another offence.
