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Woman Charged Over Essendon Café Assault That Left Waitress Injured

CCTV-led identification prompted an arrest that advances legal accountability for assaults on service workers

Overview

  • CCTV footage of the April 25 Anzac Day incident shows a passerby allegedly strike plates into 19-year-old waitress Anais Poupon’s face while she was serving outside La Vallee café.
  • Victoria Police arrested a 52-year-old Footscray woman at Dandenong Railway Station on May 23 and charged her with recklessly causing injury; she was bailed to reappear at Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on August 17.
  • Poupon, a French national on a working-holiday visa, suffered a chipped tooth that required emergency dental treatment and has been left traumatised and facing significant medical costs.
  • La Vallee published the CCTV clip on social media to seek identification, which drew strong local attention and helped prompt the police investigation and arrest.
  • The case spotlights risks faced by hospitality staff and temporary migrant workers and will be resolved through Victoria’s court process as community fundraising helps cover the victim’s bills.