A SALISBURY man who assaulted a 16-year-old girl, punching her repeatedly in the face and throwing her £250 phone into a river, has been jailed for four years.
Following the assault at Elizabeth Gardens, Aaron Fernando, 35, left the girl with bruises around both eyes. Additionally, he struck a man who was with the girl, causing his face to get red.
The assault, which took place on June 3 of last year at approximately 9 p.m., was detailed by prosecutor David Tremain.
Mr. Fernando rode his bicycle up to them. He […] thought that they had spoken derogatory language against his cousin and family.
“The male victim was challenged by Mr. Fernando, who said he had been ‘talking s***’ about his family.”
At one time, a reunion appeared feasible as the two attempted to soothe Fernando. But it was not to be.
Mr. Tremain went on: “Mr. Fernando seemed to extend his hand, but he hit [the victim] in the eye and left temple, which made him stutter.”
Fernando threatened to “throw her in the river” as the female victim stepped in.
He repeatedly hit her in the face when she informed him he wouldn’t harm a teenage girl, and he then grabbed her and attempted to toss her into the river.
He tossed her phone into the river when it dropped to the ground during the assault.
“I never thought I’d be assaulted by a grown man,” the 16-year-old stated in a victim impact statement. I was startled and afraid during the attack.
My level of anxiousness skyrocketed following the occurrence. I was unable to leave the house at one time because of it.
Along with feeling ashamed, I felt repulsed by my damaged face. I thought my appearance was ludicrous.
In January, Fernando was convicted guilty of both assault and criminal damage charges at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, despite his not guilty plea. He was then sent to Winchester Crown Court for punishment.
According to mitigation attorney Anna Leathem, Fernando was unaware that the girl was sixteen.
Judge Angela Morris cited Fernando’s 108 prior offenses when imposing his sentence.
“This was an aggressive, premeditated, cowardly, and shameful offense,” she stated. The victim was 16 years old, over 20 years your junior, which exacerbates the situation.
“This is just another instance of extremely hostile conduct. In my opinion, Mr. Fernando, if you keep moving in this direction, the amount of time a judge would give you will only increase under these conditions.
“There comes a time when you will need to deal with these problems […] and you will need to learn to control your anger.”
Fernando said, “I love you all,” to his parents and other family members in the public gallery as he was being sentenced.
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