A 37-year-old woman is facing serious charges after an alleged violent incident erupted inside an Asda superstore last summer. Natasha Smith appeared at the High Court in Glasgow this week, where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of culpable homicide — and a string of other allegations — following an incident at the Westway Retail Park in Arbroath on June 30, 2024.
Prosecutors claim that Smith became aggressive and threatening towards Alun Harris-Richards inside the supermarket, shouting, swearing, and even making threats of violence. She’s also accused of physically struggling with Mr Harris-Richards, trying to pull a bag from him, and pushing him repeatedly. According to court papers, this caused him to fall against a display stand, hitting his head as he crashed to the ground, reported the Sun.
Smith is denying the culpable homicide charge, and her defence solicitor advocate, Melissa Virtue, told the court that footage from Mr Harris-Richards’ body camera would be a key part of the case. She noted: “This shows strange breathing and the actions of those around him,” and confirmed that only a portion of the footage would be shown to the jury to avoid them having to watch the full clip.
But that’s not the end of the accusations. Smith also pleaded not guilty to two more assault charges, and a theft count — all said to have happened during the same incident. She’s accused of stealing alcohol from the Asda store, and allegedly turned on two employees who tried to intervene.
Kathleen Grant, one of the workers, is said to have been assaulted when Smith allegedly tried to pull a bag from her and pushed her during the scuffle. Chloe Robertson, another Asda employee, is also listed as a victim in the court documents. Smith is accused of repeatedly trying to yank a bag from her, before grabbing her by the neck, punching her in the head, and pulling her hair, causing injury.
The trial is scheduled to begin in January next year at the High Court in Edinburgh, presided over by Judge Lord Armstrong. It’s expected to last around seven days, with several witnesses and CCTV or body cam footage expected to play a major role in the proceedings.
As the case unfolds, it’s likely to shine a spotlight not only on the events of that day but also on the pressures faced by retail workers and the increasing instances of in-store violence.
