Pensioner’s party brawl
MAN LASHED OUT AT OLDER NEIGHBOUR FOR BEING TOO NOISY
A NEIGHBOUR lashed out at a pensioner after he complained about the noise coming from her 80th birthday party.
Michael Raine was wearing his girlfriend’s pyjamas, her flip-flops and flowery dressing gown when he stormed round the woman’s house at 3.30am to tell those inside to “keep it down”.
A court heard the elderly lady had held her 80th birthday party at the Kelly pub, in Hebburn, last May and that the celebrations had continued back at her home.
But trouble flared when 29-yearold Raine stormed over to the house and, in the violence that followed, the 80-year-old host suffered bruising to her cheek, chin, jaw, neck and arms.
Angry Raine, who had drank 10 cans of lager, also “barged into” her 71-year-old pal, who twisted her ankle so badly that the swelling meant she couldn’t wear shoes for a week, Newcastle Crown Court was told.
Now, Raine, who has moved to Olive Street, in South Shields, has walked free from court after admitting one count of affray.
Judge Stephen Earl told Raine he was lucky not to be going straight to prison as he had an appalling record for violence and public order offences.
Giving him a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, the judge said: “Somebody got your goat up and the red mist descended and you lashed out.
“I accept you were not lashing out deliberately at an 80-year-old or a 71-year-old. But, the fact of the matter is you took your victims as you found them in that sense and, of course, that’s the situation and you did lash out towards them using force and that’s unacceptable behaviour and you have rightly, in due course, pleaded guilty to affray.”
Judge Earl added: “One can understand you might want to go out and have a word. I suspect at that point, no-one would blame you for asking could you keep the noise down.
“One of the things one should never do, when drink is on board, is take on other people.”
Alec Burns, prosecuting told the court the noise from the party had woken Raine’s girlfriend and her child.
He had then stormed round the house and, in doing so, barged into the 71-yearold guest, who twisted her ankle.
Raine then confronted the 80-yearold host and told her “keep the noise down” but, when a woman guest told him to “go home”, he lashed out and hit her face.
Other guests soon intervened and Raine was stamped on while he was on the floor during a fight with a young male, the court heard.
Mr Burns said: “The birthday lady tried to get the defendant off her and she was struck in the face at that point.
“It is accepted he would not necessarily have known he was striking an 80-year-old, given the chaos that was going on, but he did.”
Afterwards, the party host told police: “My 80th birthday should have been a celebration. It turned into one of the most horrendous days of my life.”
The court heard the violence left her suffering nightmares.
Peter Schofield, defending, said Raine had good employment references and prospects and had not gone looking for trouble that night.