Cane only for a-walkin', judge says

During a court hearing at Montreal's Palais de Justice, a Quebec Criminal Court judge decreed Pierrefonds resident Daniel Palladini is guilty of doing nothing more with his cane than using it to get around, striking down accusations that he assaulted someone with it, but nevertheless imposing a restraining order on him as part of a plea bargain. "If you agree to these conditions, that will be the end of the matter," Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré told Palladini as he nodded in agreement.

Palladini, a resident at the Roger Bernard seniors' residence in Pierrefonds/Roxboro, had been charged with assault with a weapon by another resident of the home, Lisa Coverini.

When the two arrived at the courtroom this morning, they were all set for a trial, with Palladini showing up with a couple of witnesses.

However, Palladini's defence attorney Martin Larocque argued that while he agreed on what Coverini would be expected to state in court if she were to testify, he did not think it was the truth.

It was an unusual scene as Larocque, the crown prosecutor and Westmoreland-Traoré agreed on a statement to be dictated to the court stenographer. "The accused admits that, if the complainant, Elisa Gaspar Coverini, testified, she would say that there was a discussion in the basement (of Roger Bernard) on January 25, 2008, that during this discussion between herself and the accused, the accused hit the complainant with his cane on her leg or her ankle between one and five times, that the accused caused the complainant to lose her running shoe, that she feared for her safety on January 25," Westmoreland-Traoré said as lawyers on both sides watched.

Palladini will have to stay on good behaviour for 12 months, and not interact with Coverini in any way.

After the hearing, Larocque said he was satisfied. "This avoids a trial," he said, adding it also proves Palladini is not guilty. "(Coverini) agreed that the (assault) charges be dropped," he said.

Later, Coverini told The Chronicle the verdict satisfied her too. Asked why she agreed to a plea bargain, she said it seemed like the best option. "I was told that if he didn't get (a guilty verdict in a trial), it's like he walks away as if nothing happens," she said.

Palladini denies having assaulted her.