LADIES DAY BOUT
Court hears how violence flared after race night called off
TWO women were injured when violence erupted outside a racecourse on ladies’ night, a court heard.
Hairdresser Karen Jeffrey allegedly thumped a young mum after mocking her mud-stained white jumpsuit. Brooke Marshall said she ended up with two black eyes and a suspected broken nose. Her pal Joanne Falconer told Hamilton Sheriff Court she had bruised ribs after Jeffrey attacked her. Jeffrey, 48, of Hamilton, denies assaulting the friends outside the town’s racecourse on August 3, 2019.
The court heard the women were all in a group who had gone to the annual Hamilton Park ladies’ event. But the evening was cut short when torrential rain caused the meeting to be abandoned.
Violence flared after the group decided to walk to a restaurant in nearby Bothwell.
Joanne, 24, of East Kilbride, said Jeffrey took exception to mud stains on Brooke’s white jumpsuit.
She told Shaun Alexander, prosecuting: “Karen made a comment about having different standards and said Brooke could not go to the restaurant looking like that. There was an argument and Karen pulled me to the ground. She was on top of me.
“Brooke tried to stop her, but Karen pulled her hair.
“I tried to get Karen away from Brooke and she punched me, giving me an instant black eye. “It was a traumatic experience.” Brooke, 25, of Uddingston, said Jeffrey punched her “several times on the face” and threw her to the ground. Both alleged victims admitted they had been drinking, but insisted they were not drunk and denied a defence claim that they had attacked Jeffrey.
Brooke said: “That’s ridiculous. I’ve never been in a fight in my life.”
Jeffrey’s lawyer, Angela McCracken, claimed the pals “kicked off” after her client said Brooke “was in no fit state to go anywhere and should go home”. She also alleged that Jeffrey was “in fear for her life” when she was attacked and had some of her hair extensions pulled out.
The trial, before Sheriff Douglas Brown, was adjourned until next month.