A man and a woman have been given 12-month suspended sentences for a disturbance incident made worse by what the judge described as “despicable” racist language directed at the victims. Astrid Maria Secreve and Michel Jean-Jacque Berthiaume were sentenced today in Richmond District Court. They pleaded guilty in October. The pair were charged after they spilled or threw coffee and directed racial slurs at a manager at Rocanini Coffee Roasters in Steveston in March 2021. Community members packed the courtroom Thursday for the sentencing. Many braved the rain to hold signs denouncing racism after it was imposed. (Liam Britten/CBC) The judge noted that the confrontation was escalated by the manager enforcing the coronavirus pandemic rules in place at the time. The judge found that Secreve said “f–k you Chinese” and Berthiaume twice said “f–king Chinese” and also said “coronavirus is you” to the manager, who is Asian. More to come.
