Woman jailed for courthouse fight
April Margaret Greene was involved in altercation with two other people
A 41-year-old woman who was involved in an altercation with two women outside the provincial courthouse in Charlottetown was sentenced recently to 15 days in jail.
April Margaret Greene appeared before Chief Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court by video from the jail where she pleaded guilty to causing a disturbance by fighting.
Because of public health measures in place to reduce the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) the lawyers in the case participated by phone.
Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Nathan Beck told the court that on Dec. 18 the police were dispatched to the provincial courthouse after a sheriff’s emergency beacon was activated.
When they arrived, they were told there was a fight between several women.
A surveillance video was played for court.
It showed a taxi, with Greene in it, pull up to the building where two other women were waiting outside.
Beck said one of the women appeared to try to get Greene to fight.
Greene kicked one of the taxi’s doors off its hinges during the altercation before a female sheriff came out of the courthouse and pulled her away from the other women.
Beck said the sheriff felt she was assaulted during the incident.
The court heard Greene had a prior record, mostly in Nova Scotia, that included recent convictions in P.E.I. for a string of thefts for which she is serving a six-month jail sentence.
The other women involved in the incident at the courthouse were also charged with causing a disturbance.
Defence lawyer Thane MacEachern told the court the facts in the case indicated the other women were the aggressors and the damage to the door was inadvertent as Greene tried to kick them away.
MacEachern said Greene was basically ripped out of the taxi and fought back.
Along with the jail time, which Greene will serve consecutive to any other time, she must write an apology letter to the taxi driver and pay $40 in restitution.