An Adelaide man who was caught on video slapping a young female worker at the Gouger Street Fun Tea shop has told a court he did it because he thought she was complaining about him.
Key points:
- Lei Guo has admitted to slapping the female worker at Fun Tea
- He told a court he thought the woman was complaining to her manager about him
- He is due to be sentenced in court next week
Lei Guo, 39, entered a guilty plea in June after failing to show up to his first court appearance in May due to needing to isolate as he waited on a COVID test result.
He was charged with basic assault after a video emerged online of him slapping the 22-year-old female across the face.
Mr Guo appeared today in the Adelaide Magistrates court.
His lawyer, Martin Anders, told the court Mr Guo was in the shop on the day of the incident because the owner had offered his family free desserts after they donated children’s books.
“[He was] awaiting service when he observed the employee in an angry and aggressive confrontation with the venue’s owner,” he said.
“So he approaches, under the false impression that [she] was arguing with the owner in relation to him and his wife. He reacted appallingly.”
Mr Anders said his client seeks to apologise to the woman and the venue owner.
The court heard Mr Guo’s only connection to the venue was performing renovations there before its opening and did not know any of the staff.
Prosecutors indicated they would not be seeking a term of imprisonment, with Mr Guo set to be sentenced next week.
The video of the incident went viral on social media and features the 22-year-old woman making claims about wage theft.
In an interview with a Chinese Australian YouTuber, a man who said he was the owner of Fun Tea responded to allegations raised the video.
“Was the $10 wage she mentioned a real thing?” the interviewer asked.
“This little girl was indeed only [paid] $10 until the day of the incident,” the man replied.