A jealous landlady attacked a punter she accused of eyeing up her husband.
The boozy brawl at The Staggered Inn micropub in Dover, Kent saw Serena Scoble chuck two glasses at Michelle Baker, leaving her with a knee injury that required surgery.
In a fiery rage, the 47 year old also booted Ms Baker in the back, drenched her with a drink and hurled insults, branding her a liar and a “s**g”. Scoble owned up to unlawful wounding but swerved a stint behind bars, getting sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court last Thursday instead.
Douglas Scott, prosecuting, detailed how the spat kicked off around 9pm on December 13 last year after Scoble lobbed accusations of cheeky winks between her other half Jason and Ms Baker. She stormed out of the pub after shouting: “He’s just trying to get in your knickers – fill your boots.”
The court was told that a sozzled Ms Baker couldn’t snag a taxi home, leading Mr Scoble to offer her a makeshift bed behind the bar. But come 11pm, Scoble’s fuming missus woke Ms Baker with kicks to the back while screaming “I knew it – you are a f***ing liar” and slinging the “s**g” slur.
Scoble then stepped up her assault, grabbing a glass and splashing a drink on Ms Baker before lobbing two more glasses, one of which gashed Ms Baker’s leg with a “deep wound”.
Ms Baker was rushed to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford following the incident. The landlady involved was later arrested but remained tight-lipped during her interview with the police.
In a heart-wrenching victim impact statement, Ms Baker explained how the ordeal had wreaked havoc on her mental well-being, cranking up her anxiety levels and nicking her sleep. She confessed: “I have been very lonely and can’t go out with my friends or family as I’m afraid of something happening again.”
The court also got wind that Ms Baker’s now hobbling about due to her injury and is out of pocket because she’s been unable to work.
James Burke, batting for Scoble, said his client was gutted over the impulsive scrap, which kicked off amid a highly strung drama. He pointed out: “She has shown a determination to take steps to address her offending behaviour. She volunteers at a boxing club and sponsors a child there.”
The judge, Recorder Daniel Stevenson, flagged two bits that made the offence worse: Ms Baker was solo when it all went down, and Scoble, as the licensee, should’ve been the one looking after her punters. He noted the meltdown happened while Scoble’s marriage was hitting the skids but reckoned Scoble didn’t actually intend to dish out serious damage.
Scoble, who had her son and mates backing her in court, dodged immediate porridge but was slapped with a nine-month stretch, suspended for 18 months.
A woman has been instructed to complete 100 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months. In January last year, the Scobles shared their aspirations with KentOnline about their new venture – a micropub that was previously The Thirsty Scarecrow, Britain’s pioneering micro-cider house, now reborn as The Staggered Inn.
Mr Scoble expressed his ethos at the time: “I wanted a pub that I would like to walk into, with the prices that I would like to pay, with the beer I would like.”
He added, “Locals are our number one.”
His wife chimed in, noting: “We have been really lucky that people have supported us and we hope this is a place everyone can feel comfortable coming into.”