Mum Fined After Attacking Woman In Gravy Station Queue At Toby Carvery

A mum has been fined after attacking a woman in the gravy station queue at a Toby Carvery in Wales.

Sarah Pritchard assaulted Joanne Blanche as she was about to spoon a ladle of gravy over her roast potatoes at the busy Caerphilly branch of the restaurant on Wednesday 11 December.

Athena Picture Agency

Police were called to the scene at around 4.20pm and Pritchard, 35, was arrested and charged with assault.

Newport Magistrates Court heard that other diners ran away as mother-of-three Pritchard began grappling with Mrs Blanche, 50, at the gravy station.

Pritchard admitted common assault and was fined £54 ($70). She was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £32 ($41) and costs of £85 ($110).

Prosecutor Rob Simkins said: "Mrs Blanche was at the gravy station when she was grabbed by the arm and assaulted.

"Restaurant staff intervened and police were called - it was not what you expect in a family restaurant at lunchtime."

Speaking after the case, mother-of-one Mrs Blanche of Trethomas, Caerphilly, didn't seem very impressed by Pritchard's punishment.

PA

She said: "It's normally a quiet and safe place, there's never any trouble.

"I don't know why she picked on me, I was minding my own business.

"A fine of just £54 isn't very much and won't stop her doing it to someone else in the future."

A witness told The Sun back in December that the altercation ended up being taken to the car park.

They said: "It was all very festive and then it all got very heated as the pair were at the gravy station.

"It was about jumping the queue at the carvery. People had clearly had a drink or two. It was a proper shouting match. Their men took them away but then it all flared up again.

"The pair were ushered outside into the car park where there was lot of pushing and shoving."

In lighter Toby Carvery-based news, an employee decided to show his love for the chain by getting its logo permanently inked on his flesh.

But it wasn't long after James Grigg returned from his drunken shenanigans in Tenerife that he found he was no longer a Toby Carvery employee.

Speaking to LADbible, he said: "I got it done on a night out in Tenerife - it was about 6am and I had been drinking heavily.

"At the time I was actually working at a Toby Carvery as a bartender.

"When I got back and showed everyone, they were gobsmacked.

"Then, about two weeks after I got back, I was sacked. I was constantly late and in the end my boss got annoyed."

Topics: uk news, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey