The man accused of hitting a woman over the head with a pole in downtown Vancouver last month will remain in jail over the long weekend, pending a future court date.
Mohammed Majidpour, 35, made a brief appearance at the downtown community court Friday on a charge of assault with a weapon in the Sept. 27 stranger attack.
He’s accused of striking a 19-year-old Asian student and using a racial slur, in what police at the time said may have been a racially-motivated attack.
The allegations are just the latest in a string of run-ins with the law over the last seven years.
Last year, he was accused of stalking Vancouver woman Jamie Coutts through the Chinatown area. In that incident, Coutts recorded video of a man following her through the area for more than half an hour, before she found safety with a group of people in a skateboard park.
In September 2021, a charge of criminal harassment against him in the case was stayed.
“My heart hurts enormously for her, but I’m not shocked,” Coutts said, referring to the alleged victim in the September incident.
“It’s really sad that he keeps getting let out, that’s all — I think there’s something going on with our system right now.”
As the harassment charge was stayed, Majidpour pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon, mischief, uttering threats and break and enter over unrelated incidents in Vancouver and Richmond.
He was sentenced to a single day in jail, along with a year’s probation. At the time, the court heard he was addicted to heroin and in need of treatment.
Court records show he has more than 30 convictions dating back to August 2015, including on charges of assault, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.
“The punishments aren’t as strong as they should be for these individuals, so until something happens the crime rate is going to just keep getting worse and worse,” Coutts said.
“After 30 convictions, or more than 30 convictions, in seven years, I mean it’s a no brainer to know that this individual needs help.”
Majidpour remains in custody and will undergo an overnight assessment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.