Company director went on booze and drug pub rampage
A GLOBE-TROTTING company director trashed a village pub and demanded he sleep with the barmaid whilst he was ‘paralytic’ after a lager and cocaine binge.
Michael Leonard, 46, who had not eaten or slept in three days, switched on the beer taps and began smashing wine bottles and glasses when he was asked to leave for propositioning the woman when she was serving other customers.
During the childish temper tantrum at the De Trafford Arms Hotel in Alderley Edge, Leonard upturned a customer’s pint of Guinness and also made sexist remarks to the woman’s female colleague.
He then manhandled her saying: “Try and stop me.”
Police called to the trendy bar by the women and arrested dad-of-three Leonard who lived in a £400,000 apartment next to the pub.
But he insisted: “I just went behind the bar and turned the taps on and smashed up some glasses because I didn’t like the barmaid’s attitude.’’
At Stockport magistrates court, Leonard was ordered to pay £500 compensation after he admitted common assault, criminal damage and a public
The court was told that he is currently living with his parents in Macclesfield after a three-month stint at a rehab clinic in South Africa.
Leonard is vice president of an international logistics firm whose role involves ‘strategic development.’
The bust-up happened at 3pm on March 10, 2019, after Leonard went to the pub in search of food after going for 72 hours without sleep when he began talking cocaine from ‘morning to night.’
Prosecutor Tina Cunnane, said: “He was a regular at the pub and he made a sexist comment towards one of the staff members Helen Gaughan.
“She was shocked by this then she heard the defendant say to her colleague ‘when are you going to sleep with me?’
“Her colleague also challenged the defendant and he was told to leave. But as she was in the glass wash area, the defendant swiped one of the glasses and went into the bar area.
“He was again asked to leave but he pushed a number of wine bottles to the floor causing them to smash.
“He then pushed her, Miss Gaughan, by the shoulders after coming around the bar area. She got a hold of him and said she was pushed by him and whilst this was happening he was saying: ‘Try and stop me.’”
Leonard had a previous conviction for criminal damage for throwing a shoe at his ex-wife’s car and a conviction for assaulting police. In 2013 he was convicted of assault after punching his ex-partner’s husband 10 times in revenge for being mocked about wearing a red sports vest, During the assault he told the victim: ‘’Don’t laugh at me or I will kill you.’’
Defence lawyer Robert Vann said Leonard suffered from depression and anxiety following the break-up of his second marriage in 2018.
He said ‘although he was heavily medicated for that, it wasn’t enough and on this occasion was using cocaine as well,’ adding: “Some days he was so low he spent the day using cocaine morning through to night.”
He said Leonard described himself as having a ‘childish tantrum’ after he was refused more drinks.
Mr Vann said: “It could have been worse but fortunately wasn’t, Michael Leonard is a completely different Michael Leonard to back then. He’s embarrassed about his actions. Many of his friends hold him in high regard.”
Leonard was also fined £200 and ordered to pay £200 in costs. He was banned from the pub for 12 months under the terms of a restraining order.