A prison worker was fined $2,000 yesterday in Magistrates' Court after assaulting a woman in Hamilton.

Michael Brangman, 23, pleaded guilty to assaulting Elaina Nelson on Front Street on September 13 and has since resigned from the Department of Corrections. He denied intruding upon her privacy on the same date and Crown counsel offered no evidence for the charge.

According to Ms Nelson the sentence "was appropriate" after Brangman, of Wyndham Hill, left her with a sprained arm and scratch on her left wrist.

Defence lawyer Llewellyn Peniston argued for a conditional discharge that would allow his client to continue with a career with the Correctional Facilities. According to Mr. Peniston, Brangman served in the Cadets and Bermuda Regiment and was of previously "unblemished record".

Mr. Peniston said Brangman tried to apologise to the victim at his earliest convenience.

Ms Nelson, however, said the defendant was more sorry that he got caught than for what he did. "That's why I didn't take the apology as genuine because it didn't look genuine," she added.

The court heard that around 3 a.m. on September 13, Brangman grabbed the victim's waist from behind. Ms Nelson was walking with two male friends at the time and turned to see who had accosted her.

She didn't recognise the defendant who claimed to know her from somewhere.

Ms Nelson asked him to leave her alone, to which Brangman replied: "Bermudian women can't do anything. They can't cook, they can't clean they can't suck d**k."

Brangman got louder and louder and moved toward the complainant who was walking barefooted with her shoes in her right hand.

The court heard he grabbed her hand, twisted it and allegedly tried to hit her. But her two male friends intervened and escorted Brangman to Hamilton Police Station.

He apologised to the court yesterday, but added: "I believe this matter is trivial. I didn't touch the complainant. She attacked me when I wasn't even facing her. I didn't attack this lady. That is not in my personality sir."

According to Brangman, he went to the Police Station on his own accord and was acting in self-defence when Ms Nelson used her heeled shoe as a "weapon".

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo considered Brangman's statements and previous good conduct, but handed him a $2,000 fine.

"All of that doesn't erase the extent to which this behaviour offended the victim and other persons," said Mr. Tokunbo. What would have happened if those (male) defendants weren't there to intercede?"

Yesterday Commissioner of Corrections Edward Lamb told The Royal Gazette: "Mr. Brangman is no longer employed with the Department of Corrections, having resigned several weeks ago."