A boozy hen do descended into chaos after a fight broke out at a city train station because of alleged ‘queue jumping’ in the toilets — as one woman was punched, shoved and had her hair pulled during the violent fracas.
Bride-to-be Dionne Pearson had been out in Newcastle city centre with her family and friends celebrating her forthcoming nuptials when a heated argument broke out between her party and a woman, Nadia Rhodes.
A court heard Rhodes had jumped the queue for the toilets at Newcastle Central Station, causing tensions to flare between the women.
CCTV then captured Rhode’s partner, Lee Moore, enter the toilets which led to a fight subsequently spilling out onto the platform in front of children and families.
Pearson and five of her hens — Shauna Metcalfe, Tia Metcalfe, Michelle Wingfield, Sophie Wingfield-Herron and Charley Wingfield-Herron — were then seen to either punch, grab hair or shove during the scrap, Newcastle Magistrates’ Court was told.
On the other side of the fray was Rhodes and Moore and their group of friends, who also rained down punches or pushed and shoved during the incident, which was described by a judge as ‘unsavoury’ and a ‘very, very unpleasant melee’.
The fight was eventually broken up by police officers and an investigation was launched, involving the viewing the CCTV and deciphering who had done what.
Dionne Pearson pictured leaving Newcastle Crown Court and Magistrates court, in Newcastle Quayside – she had been out with her friends and family celebrating her forthcoming nuptials when the fight broke out between her party and Nadia Rhodes
Lee Moore and Nadia Rhodes pictured leaving Newcastle Crown Court and Magistrates court, Newcastle Quayside – a court heard Rhodes had jumped the queue for the toilets at Newcastle Central Station, causing tensions to flare between the women
Dionne Pearson, 30 and Shauna Metcalfe, 25, both of Browney in County Durham, Tia Metcalfe, 22, of Durham City, Michelle Wingfield, 43, of County Durham, Sophie Wingfield-Herron, 22, of Newton Aycliffe, and Charley Wingfield-Herron, 24, of Gateshead, all pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour to cause fear or provoke violence.
Rhodes, 25 and Moore, 32, both of Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to the same offence.
Prosecutor, Jonathan Stirland, said the fight happened on the evening of August 12 last year.
Mr Stirland continued: ‘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.’
The court heard that Tia Metcalfe was suspected of hitting Moore, then been punched in return, and Shauna Metcalfe punched someone repeatedly. Pearson was said to have grabbed a female by the hair.
Mr Stirland said Wingfield was suspected of trying to punch a male in the face several times, while Sophie Wingfield-Herron tried to punch a male in the back of the head and Charley Wingfield-Herron punched a female in the head.
Shauna Metcalfe leaving Newcastle Crown Court and Magistrates court, Newcastle Quayside
Tia Metcalfe leaving Newcastle Crown Court and Magistrates court, Newcastle Quayside
Michelle Wingfield leaving Newcastle Crown Court and Magistrates court, Newcastle Quayside
Michael Crowe, defending all six of the hen party, said the group blamed the other side for starting the fight and each were acting in self-defence or to protect each other, although they all accepted their behaviour had gone beyond that. Mr Crowe 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.’
The court heard that none of the hen group had past convictions and that Pearson was a married mum-of-two, who worked at a valuation office agency, Shauna Metcalfe worked at Durham University and also had two children and Tia Metcalfe was a nurse.
Meanwhile, Wingfield and Sophie Wingfield-Herron were both on benefits and Charley Wingfield-Herron worked as a teaching assistant.
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.’
Sophie Wingfield-Herron leaving Newcastle Crown Court and Magistrates court, Newcastle Quayside
Charley Wingfield-Herron leaving Newcastle Crown Court and Magistrates court, Newcastle Quayside
Turning to Rhodes and Moore, Mr Stirland said the former was suspected of pushing, shoving and acting aggressively, while Moore was seen throwing punches. The prosecutor said Rhodes had no past convictions but Moore had two.
The court was told that Rhodes and Moore were both on benefits and were partners but lived separately with their children. They both said that the other side was to blame and they were protecting each other and acting in self-defence, albeit excessively.
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.’