Female Basil Fawlty
Alcoholic hotel owner jailed for hitting staff, throwing a pot… and pouring drinks on PC
A HOTEL owner dubbed a real-life Basil Fawlty punched her staff and threw a pot at a barman in a string of alcoholfuelled attacks.
Shirley Bothroyd, who was jailed yesterday, also assaulted a police officer at her £1.5million hotel.
Magistrates heard Bothroyd, 59, had been a high- flying human rights barrister who once worked alongside Tony and Cherie Blair.
She owned and ran the Bay Hotel in Teignmouth, Devon, which she had bought for £1.5million four years ago.
Bothroyd – who once claimed it was a ‘compliment’ to be compared to John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty in an online review – carried out a string of attacks in June and July this year.
On June 25, she pulled her chef to the ground by her hair. In a statement read to the court, Pauline Cave said she had been asked by Bothroyd for a key to the kitchen but told the owner she could not have it before walking away.
She said: ‘The next thing I know she had grabbed me by the hair from behind and knocked me to the floor. She held me down by my hair and kept slapping me.
‘A lot of my hair was pulled out. I was lucky a colleague heard something had happened and came to my aid. It was a totally unprovoked attack.’
Christian Holland, who was the manager, said he had been attacked in the hallway on June 23 when she accused him of wanting to take over the hotel.
Bothroyd assaulted him again days later. His statement said: ‘On June 26 I was sat in the corner of the main bar and she started shouting at me to get off the phone so she could phone the police. I told her this was my personal iPhone. She started to hit me with a clenched fist to the left side of my face. She was aggressive looking, spitting and calling me a f****** ****.’
On the same day, barman Jay French said Bothroyd threw a ceramic plant pot at him, while assistant manager Stephen Fenton said he was punched in the ribs and ‘ slapped hard across the cheek’ by the owner.
Another victim was receptionist Hannah Glover, who was
‘She knocked me to the floor’
abused on June 6 as she worked behind the bar. Shaun Tipton, prosecuting at Newton Abbot magistrates court, said: ‘The defendant was asking to use the telephone and approached Ms Glover who informed her the phone was broken. The defendant responded by being abusive, calling her a thick ****, before leaving the hotel.’
He said she returned 15 minutes later, called the receptionist a ‘liar and a ****’ and threw a glass at her. On July 25, police were called by Bothroyd, claiming she was being threatened.
When they arrived, a drunk Bothroyd threw a glass then poured cranberry juice, Guinness and wine over an officer.
The hotel is not operating at the moment and Bothroyd has been on remand since her arrest. Magistrates were told that, after her arrest, Bothroyd described herself as a ‘genius’ because she had defended several police officers in her legal career.
She told the court she was an alcoholic but claimed she had been drugged at the time of the incidents. Bothroyd admitted assaulting her chef and abusing her receptionist, and was found guilty of four further assault charges. She was jailed for 22 weeks and told to pay £1,235.
Bothroyd denies charges of dumping rotten food and smashing bottles outside the hotel, which were adjourned.
The court heard she was on remand awaiting trial for other offences in January.