THE manager of a takeaway in Enniskillen has been convicted of assaulting an underage employee in a row over missing cash from the till.
Nongyao Boriehak (45) of Riverside in Enniskillen pleaded not guilty to the assault on November 8th last at Thai Kitchen on Belmore Street.
The victim told Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday that the day before the incident, she had counted the till float and told Boriehak that the money hadn’t added up to the normal £300. The injured party said when she went into work at 4.30pm on November 8th her manager had seemed very angry about the missing money.
“She asked me where it was and seemed very tense before grabbing me by my right arm. I had left my handbag behind the counter and when I went to get it she pulled my upper right arm, her nails were digging in and she left a scratch.”
The victim returned to her sheltered accommodation where staff took a photo of her arm which was shown to police when she reported the incident later that same day. She told the court that two other staff members had been working that day but when they gave evidence at the hearing both denied witnessing the incident.
Defending barrister Ciaran Roddy put it to the defendant that she could not have sustained the injuries since she was still wearing her coat.
A police constable told the hearing that when he spoke to the injured party on the day he noticed swelling above her elbow and red marks. He said he tried to take a photo on his phone but the injuries were not visible.
Speaking through an interpreter, Boriehak said the victim had attended work that day and was asked to sit in the waiting area to be spoken to about the £40 missing from the float and her working manner.
“She wanted to get her handbag which was behind the counter so I held the door open for her and touched her shoulder as if to say please go and wait for me. Working in a kitchen I keep my nails short and it was winter so she was wearing a coat.”
After hearing the evidence District Judge Nigel Broderick said he believed the defendant had been very angry about the missing money and forcibly grabbed the girl’s arm.
Boriehak was fined £300 and ordered her to pay the victim £200.
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