‘Female Basil Fawlty’ denies seven assaults
A HOTELIER once dubbed the “female Basil Fawlty” has appeared in court charged with seven assaults including two on police.
Former barrister Shirley Bothroyd denies attacking the officers and five other assault charges.
She was arrested at the Bay Hotel, Teignmouth, Devon, a short distance from the site of John Cleese’s fictional hotel in Torquay.
Ms Bothroyd, 59, appeared at Torbay magistrates court yesterday and gave her address as “The Penthouse” at the Bay Hotel.
She pleaded not guilty to two charges of assaulting police, four assaults by beating, one of common assault and one of threatening behaviour.
The charges arise out of an incident at the hotel on Wednesday. She was remanded on unconditional bail until her next appearance at Newton Abbot magistrates court on October 2.
Ms Bothroyd was described as the “female Basil Fawlty” in a review of the Bay Hotel on the website TripAdvisor.
But she laughed off the jibe, saying: “I take it as a compliment to be compared to Basil Fawlty. He had a great sense of humour, just like me, and it seemed a fun place to stay.”
More than a quarter of reviews published at the same time rated the Bay Hotel as excellent.
Ms Bothroyd bought the hotel for £1.5million after a 30-year career as a barrister.