Hayley Trotter sentenced over Central Coast Leagues Club catfight
It was the birthday at a Central Coast club which descended into an ugly catfight. Now it has been revealed what sparked the violent confrontation.
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A 20-year-old woman, banned from all licensed venues on the Central Coast, has pleaded guilty to affray following a “big night” at Central Coast Leagues Club, a court has heard.
Hayley Trotter, of Umina Beach, faced Gosford Local Court on Thursday where a second offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm was withdrawn and dismissed.
The court heard she worked full time at an IGA supermarket and was “embarrassed and ashamed” of her role in the violent confrontation on August 28.
Her solicitor, leading criminal lawyer Paul Mereniuk, told the court she had intended to throw the contents of a drink at the victim but the cup slipped from her hand.
Magistrate Michael Antrum said the “big night” spiralled out of control from there.
He said he noted there was a degree of “provocation” but it was not a defence.
“You started off in this incident trying to calm people down,” he said.
An agreed set of police facts states she arrived at Central Coast Leagues Club about 8.40pm and went to `The Terrace’ where she sat at a table to celebrate a friend’s birthday.
At another table, also there for the party, was a woman she had known since school and which the police facts stated “have had issues in the past”.
About 10.30pm an issue arose with the male having the birthday and words were said between the two tables.
“The male paced around the tables in an agitated state blaming both the accused and (the other woman) for ruining his birthday party,” the facts read.
Trotter and her friend Kaylla Genner, 20, of Umina Beach, got up and tried talking to the man to calm him down.
The two girls walked away but then Trotter and the other woman began yelling and pointing at one another from a distance.
“The accused then began to walk away ... (the other woman) was laughing and waving goodbye to the accused,” the facts state.
Trotter then walked back to the table picked up a “polystyrene cocktail vessel” from the hand of another woman and threw it at her schoolyard rival.
But the plastic cup hit the woman who was holding it originally.
The other woman threw a glass at Trotter, which smashed against a wall.
A female friend of Trotter’s rival yelled “what the f..k was that c..t, you use your hands not a weapon”.
“The accused immediately began attacking (that woman) throwing punches at her,” the facts state.
“A friend of the accused Kaylla Genner began throwing punches at (that victim) and grabbed her hair and pulled it, as she did this Genner fell to the ground.”
The three tussled, pulling each other’s hair and punching before a female security guard pulled them apart.
The fight erupted again before Trotter, Genner and their friends were escorted from the venue and police arrived.
On September 1 Trotter attended Gosford Police station where she watched CCTV footage of the incident.
She said there had been lots of incidents prior to this involving her being harassed and intimidated by the other woman and as she was walking away the woman was calling the Trotter “a pussy” and telling her to hit her.
The police facts said Trotter appeared remorseful and was “visibly upset with herself watching the CCTV footage.”
Magistrate Antrum found the affray proven and sentenced her to a 15-month community corrections order but without a conviction.
He also slammed the Brisbane Water Liquor Accord’s letter to Trotter, advising she was banned from all Central Coast venues for five years.
Magistrate Antrum described it as “an extraordinary penalty for a young person” and the letter stated she was “guilty of a serious offence” before “she has had her day in court”.
“That’s not on,” he said.
Meanwhile her co-accused Genner last week pleaded guilty to affray, was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community order.
Genner, who represented herself, was also fined $1000.
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