Grandmother’s family fight led to bingo hall ban

COURT: Woman threw jug of water over daughter while she was working in kitchen

A grandmother who spent a night behind bars after a bust-up at the bingo has been shown mercy by a sheriff.

Mary Young was allowed to escape any further penalty after the sheriff ruled her ban from the bingo hall would act as punishment enough.

Young attacked her own daughter while she was frying chips in the bingo kitchen just hours after being ordered to stay away from her.

The dispute came to a head as Young threw a jug of water at her daughter Rebecca Barr at Premier Bingo in Perth.

Management of the bingo hall imposed a ban on Young after she was arrested and held overnight in a police cell on August 17 last year.

Sheriff Gillian Wade decided not to impose any further punishment on the 59-year-old bingo lover after she admitted assaulting Ms Barr.

“The proprietors of the bingo hall have effectively excluded her,” Sheriff Wade said.

“You have committed this offence in the bingo hall and now you have to face the consequences. You have brought this particular problem upon yourself.”

The same sheriff previously imposed a civil interdict on Young, banning her from approaching her daughter, but allowing her to visit the bingo hall.

Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said: “She was concerned that her main leisure activity over 25 years was the bingo hall, where her daughter happened to obtain employment.

“She is effectively barred now from going back to the bingo hall, which has caused her significant distress because that was her main leisure activity.

“The court might feel that punishment has been administered sufficiently already in this case.”

Fiscal depute Catriona Macqueen told Perth Sheriff Court: “The accused and the complainer have a volatile relationship with numerous police incidents in the last three years.

“On this date, the complainer got an interdict stopping the accused from approaching her. The complainer was in the kitchen working at the chip fryer.

“Her manager saw the accused entering the main bingo hall. He told her she should not be in the same vicinity. The accused left.

“However, she returned immediately and walked swiftly towards the bar. She picked up a jug of water from the counter and moved towards the kitchen.

“The accused flung the jug of water over the food counter into the kitchen at the complainer, spraying her with water.

“This left the complainer feeling intimidated and she contacted police and informed her manager.”

Young, of High Street, Perth, was admonished.