Pham Van Anh Nguyen assaulted business partner in fight over nail salon

A Burleigh Heads nail salon became the centre of a bitter dispute after the owners could not stop fighting. That spat landed in court today.

Pham Van Anh Nguyen leaves Southport Courthouse. Picture: Lea Emery.

A BURLEIGH HEADS nail salon owner had the claws out when her relationship with her business partner went south.

The long-running spat turned physical when Pham Van Anh Nguyen smashed her business partner’s phone and assaulted her in August last year.

The Southport Magistrates Court was told things had soured so much the “two women could not get along”.

The nail salon was sold after the attack.

Nguyen, 34, pleaded guilty this morning to common assault and wilful damage.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Reece Foort said the pair were arguing about the finances of Unique Nail Lounge about 1pm on August 12 last year.

Pham Van Anh Nguyen (right) leaves Southport Courthouse. Picture: Lea Emery.

He said Nguyen took the other woman’s phone “because she believed the victim was taking recordings and videos of her”.

“(Nguyen) wanted them deleted,” Sgt Foort said.

During a struggle the woman’s iPhone X fell to the ground and smashed.

Sgt Foort said the phone was worth more than $1800.

Nguyen’s lawyer Daniel Hua, of Cridland and Hua Lawyers, said the two women had a “long history of animosity”.

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He said they met in 2016 when they were working at a nail salon in Pacific Fair.

Mr Hua said the pair had a falling out and did not see each other for two years.

But they resumed their friendship in 2018 and decided to open a nail business together.

“It must have been clear this business operation was not going to work,” he said.

“They were arguing about something or other every single day.”

Mr Hua said they tried working on different days but due to the demands of the business that was not possible.

Pham Van Anh Nguyen (right) smashed her business partner’s phone after a nasty argument. Picture: Lea Emery.

“They kept working together and they kept arguing,” he said.

“The argument on that day was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Mr Hua said the pair had the shop up for sale in August last year but kept working together until it was sold in May.

He said there were no incidents in that time.

Mr Hua said Nguyen was a single mother.

He said Nguyen was not an Australian citizen and would have to explain the charge to immigration.

Magistrate Pamela Dowse fined Nguyen $500 and ordered she pay $1800 restitution.

No conviction was recorded.