A woman hurled racist abuse and attacked a member of staff at a theatre performance.
Caroline Lees, 56, lashed out at Glasgow city centre’s Pavilion on March 17 2022. Lees, of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, was initially being disruptive during the performance of One Night in Dublin.
She ignored staff instructions to be quiet and was later told to leave the building but she refused. Lees told a members of staff to “go back to Pakistan, you people don’t belong in this country.”
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She went on to strike a member of staff with her elbow and pushed her fist into his face. Lees pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to assaulting Sunny Singh.
She also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner which was racially aggravated and aggravated by religious prejudice.
The court heard staff became aware of Lees who was conducting herself in a “disruptive manner.”
Prosecutor Gail Campbell said: “She was warned on several occasions to keep the noise down.
“However, she continued to be a nuisance refusing to sit down and was continually moving about.”
Lees was further warned as she was causing a disturbance in the bar area.
A decision was made to eject Lees and as staff escorted her to the lobby area she said: “I will go through you.”
She then attempted barge Mr Singh.
Miss Campbell: “She raised her elbow and struck him on the jaw and thereafter pushed his face with her fist.”
Lees continued to abuse staff stating: “Two f***ing Muslims you are just f***ing stupid scumbags, go back to Pakistan, you people don’t belong in this country.”
Lees refused to leave and called the police with a complaint in her own but fled the scene before officers arrived.
Manini Belardo, defending, said: “Clearly this was a ridiculous response from Miss Lees.
“This was a member of staff asking her to quiet down during the performance and had she done so what occurred wouldn’t have followed.
“The situation got worse and she accepts the words she used were utterly unacceptable.”
Sheriff Valerie Mays ordered Lees to do 126 hours of unpaid work and put her under supervision for 14 months.
She said: “Thus was an utterly inappropriate way to react - the things your said were entirely unacceptable.”
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