Race day rumpus ends in violence
Woman attacked pals over muddy outfit
A hairdresser from Hamilton has been convicted of assault after violence erupted outside a racecourse on ladies’ night.
Karen Jeffrey attacked a young mum after mocking her mud stained white jumpsuit.
One victim said she ended up with two black eyes and a suspected broken nose.
Her friend from East Kilbride, told Hamilton Sheriff Court she had bruised ribs after Jeffrey attacked her.
Jeffrey, 48, of Hamilton Park North, denied assaulting the friends outside the town’s racecourse on August 3, 2019.
She was found guilty on Tuesday, April 13, after trial and ordered to pay each of the victims £500 compensation.
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.
The area was crowded and some racegoers used their phones to film the bust-up.
The 24-year-old East Kilbride victim said Jeffrey took exception to mud stains on their other friend’s white jumpsuit.
She told Shaun Alexander, prosecuting: “Karen made a comment about having different standards and said our friend 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.
“The other girl tried to stop her, but Karen pulled her hair.
“I tried to get Karen away from her and she punched me, giving me an instant black eye.
“It was a traumatic experience. I was on painkillers for suspected cracked ribs.”
The 25-year-old victim, from 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.
The 25-year-old, who broke down in tears during her evidence, retorted: “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 the Uddingston victim “was in no fit state to go anywhere and should go home”.
She also alleged Jeffrey was “in fear for her life” when she was attacked and had some of her hair extensions pulled out. Jeffrey said in evidence that the others had told “fib after fib”.
She insisted she had only pushed them away when they attacked her.
But the fiscal described as “incredible” her claim that the two women had smuggled vodka into the racecourse in their tight-fitting jumpsuits.
Returning guilty verdicts, Sheriff Douglas Brown said he found the complainers’ evidence “compelling”.
The sheriff added: “At times they were quite emotional describing what happened.
“It obviously had a significant impact on them.
“I much preferred their evidence to that of the accused.”
Jeffrey was given 28 days to pay the financial penalty.