Two arrests, police and a biting charge at golf club dinner dance
IT WAS surely not the end to an evening of good wine and engaging conversation that West Cornwall Golf Club had in mind when it booked a function amid the splendour of a Grade Ii-listed Cornish hotel.
But as the club’s annual dinner dance at the Tregenna Castle Hotel was reaching its climax, the evening suddenly descended into violence.
At around 11.30pm on Friday, fighting broke out after one of the guests appeared to object to overly exuberant dancing by a group of people.
Even the arrival of the police was initially not enough to restore order to the proceedings, which ended with a woman, understood to be the daughter of one of the club’s directors, being arrested on suspicion of biting an officer.
A club source said the two people involved were not members of the club, but had bought tickets and were there as invitees. The source said they believed the incident began when someone raised concerns over “safety on the dance floor”.
“Someone asked them to modify their behaviour,” the source said. “That’s where it began.”
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that a woman was suspected of assaulting a police officer.
He said: “The officer needed to go to a minor injury unit but did carry on with their duties afterwards.”
A number of people were injured and required treatment by paramedics.
The Tregenna Castle Hotel said it had cooperated with the police and had launched its own full investigation into the disturbance. The hotel management declined to comment further until its own findings and the police investigation had been completed.
Bethany Glasson, 22, from Angarrack, Hayle, has been charged with assault by beating, criminal damage, assaulting a police officer in execution of their duty and using threatening words or behaviour.
Miss Glasson, a student at Cardiff University, is due before Truro magistrates’ court on Nov 27.
A 27-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of assault and has been released under investigation pending further inquiries.
A spokesman for West Cornwall Golf Club said: “We are greatly saddened that the club has been associated with these scenes. With all haste we are now going through our normal club procedures to deal with the matter and investigate exactly what has gone on.”