A man who grabbed a woman he didn’t know at a Vancouver bus stop has pleaded guilty to sexual assault and has received a conditional discharge and one year of probation.
“You should feel a great deal of regret and shame about this,” Vancouver provincial court Judge David St. Pierre told Suraj Dhaliwal.
“Women need to feel safe and secure when they’re out in the community,” the judge said.
Crown prosecutor Roseanne Sinclair told St. Pierre that Dhaliwal, 29, approached the female victim as she was waiting at a bus stop.
Sinclair said Dhaliwal told the woman, whose name is protected by a publication ban, she was beautiful and asked what she was doing later.
Sinclair said the woman ignored him.
Then, Sinclair told St. Pierre, “he grabbed her left buttock.”
The woman immediately kicked Dhaliwal and told him to leave. As she called 911, he left.
A surveillance camera captured the incident.
The court heard Dhaliwal has been dealing with some mental health issues, and that a medication has caused some concerns.
“He’s accepted responsibility in dealing with this matter,” defence lawyer Scott Wright told the judge.
St. Pierre told Dhaliwal it is his obligation to get assessed and deal with the matter.
“You’re going to have to earn this discharge,” St. Pierre told Dhaliwal.
He was ordered to have no contact with the victim and to provide a DNA sample.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
- In an emergency, call 911
- In a crisis, call 1-800-563-0808
- To report a person under 19 who needs protection to the Ministry of Children and Family Development, call 310-1234 (no area code required)
You can find a full list of resources on the B.C. government’s website.
