A B.C. couple that admitted to a racist incident at a café in Richmond, B.C., won’t spend any time behind bars.
Astrid Maria Secreve and Michel Jean-Jacque Berthiaume each pleaded guilty to one count of mischief over the incident at Rocanini Coffee Roasters in Steveston.
On Thursday, the pair were given a conditional sentence, with 12 months of probation and several conditions including a ban on contacting the victims in the case. They were also ordered to each pay a $100 victim surcharge.
“This was brazen and destructive behaviour,” B.C. Provincial Court Judge Diana Vandor said in handing down the sentence.
“They’ve yet to express real remorse,” she added. “They’ve taken the position that their criminal conduct is acceptable.”
The incident unfolded on March 29, 2021 and was partially captured on security video.
That video appears to show a man pouring a drink on the café floor, and a woman throwing the contents of a cup at the shop manager.
The manager previously said the two had seated themselves in an area of the café they weren’t allowed to be due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The pair’s actions depicted in the video came after they were asked to move, the manager said.
The two then used anti-Asian slurs when they were asked to leave.