Man sentenced for ride-by bottom slap

[nickel]

Sun Feb 26, 8:28 AM ET

BOGOTA, Colombia, Feb 24 - A Colombian man has been sentenced to four years' house arrest for slapping a woman's bottom as he rode by her on his bicycle, sparking debate on whether the punishment fit the crime.

Showing re-enactments of the incident, television news shows were filled on Friday with legal experts offering opinions about the judgment handed down earlier in the week by Bogota's district court.

Some said that to confine bicycle messenger Victor Garcia to his home for four years for smacking Diana Marcela Diaz's buttocks was excessive. Others said it would deter other men.

One program showed three models having their denim clad bottoms smacked so hard by a phantom hand it could be clearly heard by television viewers.

The women said that while the punishment seemed extreme, they hoped the case would mean they would be safer while on foot.

"It happened to me once," one of the models said. "I was walking very relaxed and a guy rode by on his bicycle and, 'ta!' He smacked me. I took off my shoe to hit him with it but he was already too far away."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060226/od_nm/colombia_slap_dc;_ylt=AkUEOdiooONBOUuG1z6t2yOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3NW1oMDRpBHNlYwM3NTc-

[cheapie]

4 years?????? that's absurd! we bikers have **** thrown at us all of the time and NOTHING ever gets done, even when the cops get called. :rolleyes:

not that i'm condoning his actions but dayummm

[Merlin]

Yeah, the punishment is a bit much. Some punishment is deserved but not this much.

[nickel]

Yeah, the punishment is a bit much. Some punishment is deserved but not this much.
:agree:

looks as though they are using him to set an example.

[ArkiStan]

I say they have him locked up along the street to a lamp post for 3 days wearing daisy dukes and without food so that female pedestrians could perform walk-by a$$-slappins. Pics/clips will be on the web for years to come. Now that's setting an example.

[molecularfire]

Yeah, 4 years is definitely too steep a punishment. I say cut off the arm and be done with it.












j/k. A month or 2 would be sufficient IMO.

[cheapie]

if he would have been driving drunk or smashed someone over the head with a bat he would have gotten less time.

[zero2dash]

if he would have been driving drunk or smashed someone over the head with a bat he would have gotten less time.
:agree:
Probably could've been convicted of manslaughter and served less time. :disa:
...sad but true. :hmm:

[dougadam]

I feel that is to much time. I think 6 months would be about right.

[ProMinx]

I think they should literally make the punishment fit the crime. Make the guy stand on a street corner for 4 hours one day every week for 12 weeks with his back turned to the road. For a few hundred feet before cars get to where the man stands, post signs along the lines of "Prepare to slap that @$$" or "get out your spanking gloves!" then let cars drive by and put a hurt on the man's posterior.

(I typed this out before seeing ArkiStan's response, but great minds think alike. I still like the idea of letting cars do the drive-by 45 mph slap, complete with sign warnings in advance.)

[molecularfire]

Problem is that he might enjoy that...

[Memo]

So stupid. That should be a fine if anything. Serving time for that is ridiculous.

[Markel]

My sister-in-law was biking once and got slapped by someone driving by in a car. Unfortunately for those in the car, they were stopped at a light a little bit ahead, and a cop car was a few cars behind. My sister-in-law went up to the cop car and told them what happened, and got to watch as they turned on their lights and pulled the offending car over. Sweet vengeance....

[InfiniteNothing]

I wonder if the guy's going to be labeled a sex offender for life.