Woman fined for hitting man who grabbed her

[antigone382]

98. However, just because her response resulted in injury doesn't mean it was retribution.

As portrayed in the OP, the story indicates that she acted very quickly. Her reaction is just as likely to have been a conditioned reflexive response to someone grabbing her in an aggressive and inappropriate manner as it is to have been a deliberate act of aggression. When a man takes it upon himself to sexually assault me, I don't know in that moment what he is or is not capable of. I do know that it is likely he is physically stronger than me and if I wait for him to escalate force, I will be outmatched. The safest option in my opinion is to incapacitate him as quickly as possible, and striking him hard enough to break his nose seems like a quick and effective way to do that. And this isn't even taking into account the possibility that she is one of the many people who suffers from a trauma-related disorder from previous incidents; for such an individual, survival instincts take complete control in the situation.

I don't want to leave out room for excessive use of force in response to a threat; I think if she had continued to be physically violent with him once he was incapacitated, that would show a level of malice beyond the need to protect one's self in an uncertain situation. However, I don't think that turning around quickly to dispatch someone who has physically assaulted you is a disproportionate response, or one that implies revenge over self-defense, given the uncertainty of the situation.