Aristocrat wielded machete ‘to prove point’
A WOMAN brandished her “family heirloom” machete at a meeting after losing vast amounts of her £350,000 investment in a cryptocurrency business, a court heard.
Romaine Colthurst, 53, smuggled her grandfather’s weapon to the meeting with entrepreneur Lyndon Farrington to “prove a point”, Welshpool Magistrates’ Court was told yesterday.
The court heard how Ms Colthurst, whose family owned Blarney Castle in
Cork and are descended from Irish nobility, had lost “lots of money” after investing into Mr Farrington’s cryptocurrency enterprise.
She then decided to confront Mr Farrington last November at his premises in Llangedwyn Mill, where his company Beep Mine Ltd is based.
In a “moment of madness” Ms Colthurst took a machete that belonged to her grandfather, which she later told officers was in the side door of her car. When questioned by police, Ms Colthurst told them she readied herself for the meeting by “brushing my hair and made sure my make-up and hair was straight and adjusted the machete under my coat”.
She told officers she “was just carrying” the weapon and denied any suggestion she took it to make a threat.
After admitting a charge of possessing a bladed article, Ms Colthurst was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for 12 months. She must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs. The court also ordered the destruction of the machete.