Hen do descends into chaos after rest room queue bounce sparks brawl at Newcastle practice station
The fight spilled out onto the platform, with five of the hens involved in the do – Shauna Metcalfe, Tia Metcalfe, Michelle Wingfield, Sophie Wingfield-Herron and Charley Wingfield-Herron – seen involved in the fracas
A hen party erupted into pandemonium after a brawl broke out between two groups of women in the toilets of a train station. Complaints over “queue jumping” led to Newcastle Central Station become the scene of fight that later spilled out onto the platform.
The friends and family of Dionne Pearson had gathered together to celebrate her upcoming marriage, but the day turned sour when another woman, Nadia Rhodes, was accused of pushing into a line for the toilet, a court heard. Rhodes’ partner Lee Moore was then seen entering the toilets and joining the melee, according to prosecutors.
The fight spilled out onto the platform, with five of the hens involved in the do – Shauna Metcalfe, Tia Metcalfe, Michelle Wingfield, Sophie Wingfield-Herron and Charley Wingfield-Herron – seen involved in the fracas.
Newcastle Magistrates Court heard how the incident occurred in front of children with the five hens’ seen to either punch, grab hair or shove during the violent, according to Chronicle Live.
The fight was eventually broken up by the police and investigation launched which included the review of CCTV from the scene in a bid to establish which participants had done what during the scrap.
Pearson, 30, Shauna Metcalfe, 25, Tia Metcalfe, 22, Michelle Wingfield, 43, Sophie Wingfield-Herron, 22, and Charley Wingfield-Herron, 24, all pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour to cause fear or provoke violence.
Rhodes, 25 and Moore, 32, both pleaded guilty to the same offence.
Prosecutor, Jonathan Stirland, said: “The genesis of the disorder appears to be a number of people being in the female public lavatories in Central Station. Someone (Rhodes) appears to have jumped the queue and it’s caused a disagreement amongst the people waiting to use the cubicles.
“One of Miss Rhodes’s friends, Lee Moore, comes into the female toilets and things have descended into a fairly unpleasant and unsavoury public disorder. It’s a busy Central Station venue.”
Michael Crowe, defending all six of the hen party, said that each group blamed the other for starting the fight.
He said: “Charley Wingfield-Herron and Michelle Wingfield were not actually in the toilets, they became involved after.
“It’s quite clear from the CCTV that the violence that took place was provoked. When everyone came out of the toilets, there’s a bit of chaos on the platform and it’s difficult to decipher who has done what.”
None of the hen group had any past convictions.
Mr Crowe added: “They all want to apologise for becoming involved. There were elements of significant provocation. They didn’t go out looking for trouble.”
Rhodes and Moore both said they were acting in self defence, although it was in excess.
District Judge Paul Currer fined Pearson and the two Metcalfes £500 each and ordered them each to pay £85 costs and a £200 victim surcharge. The rest were fined £300 each and must pay a £120 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
The judge said: “I don’t know what happened in the toilets and it’s irrelevant. I do know that, once you spilled out, you all behaved in a way, which you ought not to have done. Each of you lost your temper and used violence, whether that was punching, striking blows or grabbing people by the hair.
“It was unnecessary and caused the prolonging of an unsavoury incident when children were present. It was a very, very unpleasant melee and it doesn’t do any credit to any of you.”
The judge added: “You all lost your cool and reacted extremely badly and violently when this incident occurred.”
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