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July 03, 2020 - 9:35 AM
A provincial court judge has ruled a cup of hot ramen noodles can be classified as a weapon and found the 14-year-old girl who threw them at her school mate guilty of assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm.
In the B.C. Provincial Court decision, June 25, Judge Judith Doulis deliberates at length as to whether a hot bowl of noodles can be classified as a weapon before concluding that it can because it was intentionally thrown at another person. The judge's classification that the noodles are a weapon meant the teenager was convicted of a more serious charge.
The Provincial Court decision, in which all names and locations have been removed, involves an "ongoing feud" between two groups of teenage girls ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old.
The lengthy court documents lay out a complex case of cyberbullying and animosity between the two factions of girls, which had continued for years and festered. The issue began in Grade 8 when a "friendship soured over a boy."
"The offending students published comments (on various social media platforms) intended to denigrate, intimidate, or humiliate their nemesis," Judge Doulis said.
The incident in question took place in December 2018.
According to the court documents, the 14-year-old was in the school washrooms and eating a cup of Ramen noodles she had just made for herself. Another student, who was 15 years old at the time, and from the rival group, came into the bathroom and a dispute occurred. The girls swapped petty insults and the 15-year-old accused the 14-year-old of making fun of her appearance and her family.
Both girls began video recording the incident of their cell phones — one even sent a SnapChat video — before the then 14-year-old threw the hot noodles at the other girl. The 15-year-old victim received serious second and third-degree burns to her chest and was taken to hospital.
Neither side disputed that the noodles were thrown and caused the injuries they did. The judge says the issues remaining are: were the noodles thrown on purpose? Are the noodles a weapon? And were the noodles thrown in self-defence?
The lengthy court documents show a group of teenage girls, in grades eight to 11, either being the perpetrators or victims of cyberbullying.
The decision says in the fall of 2018 the school was seeing a spate of "Bro fights," consensual "friendly fights" popular on YouTube at the time.
Comments made on social media between the girls were used as exhibits in court and are laced with swear words, acronyms, and emojis. In the decision, the Judge explains what LMFAO stands for. The messages contain endless insults and threats between the girls.
The 14-year-old who threw the noodles claims she blacked out afterwards and has no memory of the incident. The judge didn't buy it.
Ultimately, the Judge rules the hot noodles were thrown on purpose, were not thrown in self-defence, and that a bowl of hot noodles can be considered as a weapon. The teenager was convicted of assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon. She will be sentenced at a later date.
It also appears the two groups have not patched things up since the incident.
"Unfortunately, the severity of the incident did not quell the two factions’ appetite for pejorative postings on social media," the judge said.
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