NEW WESTMINSTER — After hearing just an hour and a half of testimony from the first witness at his assault trial Thursday morning, Sean Quaye decided to change his plea.
Quaye admitted to assault causing bodily harm for a March attack on a bus driver in Surrey. He is expected to be sentenced Thursday afternoon in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.
According to the Crown’s opening statement, Quaye and a young woman got on a bus travelling from Newton Exchange to Guildford Mall on the evening of March 26, 2014. They told the driver, Jagdeep Grewal, that they couldn’t pay the fare and were allowed on the bus anyhow.
As Grewal drove about 40 km/h down 72nd Avenue with a busload of passengers, Quaye, without warning, punched Grewal in the face. Grewal was able to stop the bus safely and Quaye fled. Grewal’s nose was broken in the attack.
After the plea, Grewal said outside court that Quaye made the right choice and should now go to jail.
“It’s just common sense. You just can’t walk away,†he said.
Grewal said stiffer sentences from the courts would make people like Quaye think twice before assaulting a bus driver.
“We need the courts to take these things very seriously,†he said.