The legal saga for a racial incident at Steveston's Rocanini Coffee Roasters is expected to come to an end on Thursday, Nov. 3.
Michel Jean-Jacque Berthiaume and Astrid Maria Secreve had faced mischief charges for pouring coffee on the floor, throwing a cup at a Chinese barista, and uttering "f*** you Chinese" at the Steveston coffee shop in 2021.
Berthiaume and Secreve are expected to return to Richmond Provincial Court in two weeks to receive their sentences.
The couple had represented themselves in the trial, which first took place for two days on Sept. 15 to 16. The trial was about to resume on Oct. 11 when they ultimately decided to plead guilty.
“The reason I’m pleading guilty this morning is we want this nightmare to be over,” Berthiaume had told the court.
A sentencing hearing was held on Oct. 11 and 12 following the couple's guilty plea, where Crown asked the court to consider the racial motivation for Berthiaume and Secreve's actions for sentencing.
The couple disagrees.
"Saying that it's a hate crime... we never got charged with hate crime we got charged with mischief," said Berthiaume, adding that the couple was "coronavirus-motivated" rather than racially motivated.
Richmond Provincial Court Judge Diana Vandor is expected to give her decision on sentencing on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.
