A woman has been charged following an incident in which a French waitress was allegedly injured while working at a sidewalk cafe in Melbourne.
Incident Details
Backpacker Anais Poupon, 19, allegedly had a plate shoved into her face during a shift at Cafe La Vallee in Essendon, north Melbourne, around 1pm on Anzac Day. CCTV footage shows the waitress walking around a corner while carrying plates to serve to a table when a woman, walking in the opposite direction, nearly collided with her. The stranger then appears to strike the plate upward into the waitress's face and slap the other plates to the ground.
Arrest and Charges
In a statement released on Tuesday, Victoria Police confirmed that a 52-year-old woman from Footscray was arrested at Dandenong Railway Station about 10:50am on Saturday. She has been charged with recklessly causing injury and made a brief appearance at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Sunday, where she was granted bail.
Victim's Account
The young backpacker required dental work following the assault. 'She told me, 'It's your fault',' Ms Poupon recounted. 'I'm very upset. I did nothing.'
Community Reaction
La Vallee owner Josh Rabie said the aggressive behaviour made him 'feel sick'. 'She's a lovely girl, she's quiet and it's the last thing you want to happen to anyone,' he stated. The Essendon community rallied around the cafe after it shared the CCTV footage of the incident on social media. 'We are beyond shocked,' La Vallee wrote alongside the clip. 'We love being part of the community in Essendon and we hope our followers can share, tag and suggest this to local friends so we can get some justice.' The video was viewed and shared by thousands of Australians, with one commenting, 'Hope your staff member is okay.'
Court Appearance
The charged woman is scheduled to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on August 17.
