Vancouver woman brutally assaulted in Mexico, Canadian boxer arrested

Photo: Contributed

Jamie Coutts (pictured) and her friend Genevieve Thomas were assaulted in Mexico, allegedly by a Canadian boxer. Genevieve Thomas / Facebook

A man has been arrested in connection with the brutal assault of two women in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, earlier this month.

Vancouver women Jamie Coutts and Genevieve Thomas were at a bar along the resort town's popular Quinta Avenida, according to a social media post by Thomas. Another woman they were with was being pestered by a man, even after she said she wasn't interested, Thomas wrote.

Coutts and Thomas became involved and Thomas says the man appeared to back off, before turning around and charging the group. She says he punched her in the jaw hard enough to cause her head to hit on something; she's had to get stiches in the back of her head and says she lost consciousness briefly.

He then allegedly charged Coutts and punched her in the face, breaking her nose and one of her teeth, along with other injuries.

Locals stepped in and helped Thomas and Coutts to the hospital.

"We are so thankful for the locals who have helped us, the woman who carried Jamie’s limp body into a taxi and took us to the hospital, and for the 2 guys who drove us from hospital to police station, to hospital again, and then back to our hotel," writes Thomas.

The suspect, a professional boxer named Peter Nowaczek from Ontario, has been detained by police following the assault, according to Mexican media. They report that police arrived at the incident shortly after the assault occurred.

In a post on Facebook, Kelsey Lynn Coutts notes the pair are receiving messages from people in Canada, but having difficulty keeping up with the volume.

"[Jamie is] not able to use her left eye right now and needs to take it easy on her right. Genevieve Thomas is currently filtering through her messages for her and doing the best she can," she writes.

This is not the first time Coutts has been in the media. Earlier this year Vancouver Is Awesome and others reported on an incident where Coutts was followed by a man stalking her around downtown Vancouver until she was able to join a group of strangers.

A friend has started a GoFundMe page to help Coutts with her recovery costs. It's raised over $23,000 since it launched Dec. 7.

"Jamie needs emergency surgery to repair her nose as it’s completely collapsed and doubtful she can even fly home," writes fundraiser organizer Saturn Rose. "She went to Mexico without health insurance as she had no idea she would be assaulted by a male leaving her in the hospital."