Yahoo News Couple 'at the end of their tether' over antisocial behaviour attacked teenage boy with rolling pin
A fired-up woman became "hysterical" when rowdy youths kicked her front door late at night and, minutes later, she and her husband jumped in their car and drove off to find the culprits before they each attacked a 17-year-old boy.
Sophie Turner spotted a group of youths and she drove the car towards the teenagers on the pavement before she quickly got out, demanded to know who kicked the door and repeatedly hit the boy on his leg with what looked like a rolling pin. Her husband joined in and he later hit the teenager over the head with a rolling pin, causing blood to pour out and leaving a nasty scar.
The violence could have caused a fatality after the couple "took the law into their own hands" when they were "at the end of the tether" because of ongoing problems with antisocial youths, Hull Crown Court heard.
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Sophie Turner, 36, of Baxtergate, Hedon, admitted dangerous driving and assaulting the teenager on June 10 last year. Her husband, Neil Turner, 41, also of Baxtergate, Hedon, admitted assaulting the youth, causing actual bodily harm.
Jennifer Gatland, prosecuting, said that the 17-year-old boy was walking around Hedon with his friends at 11.45pm. One of the other boys kicked a door and the group walked on, reaching the corner of Market Place.
The group of five heard the sound of a car and Sophie Turner drove her red Nissan Juke onto the pavement. The boy thought that he was going to be run over and jumped out of the way.
Sophie Turner got out of the vehicle and shouted: "Who was kicking my f***ing door?" She was holding what seemed to be a black rolling pin and she hit the teenager on his leg in the area of his thigh and knee three times.
Neil Turner got out of the passenger door and tried to speak to the rest of the group. The 17-year-old boy was the only one left on the scene by this time so Neil Taylor turned back and headed in his direction.
The husband was holding what also seemed to be a black rolling pin and he hit the teenager over the head with it, causing him to stumble.
The youth ran away and hid near a church. He was frightened about being hit and there was blood coming from his face.
An ambulance was called but the teenager went to a friend's house. He suffered a scar on his head because of the assault. "It was an assault on a child," said Miss Gatland.
Sophie Turner later told police that she went to bed but heard a group of males "causing issues" outside. They had been "scared off" earlier that evening but later returned. She telephoned her husband and the two of them went to "confront and scare" the youths.
She admitted driving her car to scare them away but she denied causing any injury and denied that her husband had assaulted anyone. Neil Turner told police that his wife telephoned him while he was in a pub and she told him that a group of lads had kicked the front door. "He described her as hysterical," said Miss Gatland.
Neil Turner claimed that, after they got in the car and went to where the youths were, one of them told his wife: "F*** off, you cow." He admitted throwing punches towards a teenager but he denied that they made contact.
Both of them, originally, before Hull Magistrates Court, denied a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm and Sophie Turner at first denied dangerous driving. They later did enter guilty pleas.
The boy later said in a statement that, since the assault, he had a bald spot on the top of his head where a wound was. The scar had not healed and he had suffered headaches for a while.
"Since the incident, I have been nervous of going out around Hedon," he said. He claimed that he now tended to stay at a friend's house and he was afraid of seeing the Turners again in case he was assaulted again.
"Sophie Turner admits she did intend to scare the group," said Miss Gatland. Both of the defendants had no previous convictions.
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Sophie Turner had been "extremely distressed" about the incident. "She does feel awful to be here and to be embarrassing herself and embarrassing her family," said Miss Scott.
"She now realises how incredibly stupid that was. They have reacted in an inappropriate way and should never have taken the law into their own hands. It won't happen again."
There had been ongoing incidents of antisocial behaviour in the area near their home, including recent video pictures of a youth swinging from scaffolding and kicking a neighbour's door with both feet. The police had been told and the couple were now "doing it through the proper channels" over the antisocial behaviour problems, said Miss Scott.
Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, representing Neil Turner, said that local people had been "terrorised" by a group of youths, but this did not excuse the behaviour of the couple.
"They broke," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse. "He simply broke, given what had happened on the evening in question. It continues. There is now going to be a police investigation in relation to it, one hopes. He is extremely remorseful."
Judge John Thackray KC said the couple were "taking the law into their own hands" during the incident. "They were at the end of their tether," said Judge Thackray.
The car went into the kerb rather than the pavement itself and there was "no prospect" of the youths being hit by the car. "This could have ended so differently," said Judge Thackray.
"One blow to the head with a weapon like this can cause a fatality." Judge Thackray said of Neil Turner: "It sounds dramatic but we see it week in, week out, and, if that had occurred, he would be facing a murder charge or, at least, a manslaughter charge.
"This is not just inappropriate. This is criminal behaviour. This is serious criminal behaviour. You have taken the law into your own hands. You have used a weapon and you have assaulted a child."
Sophie Turner was given a six-month suspended prison sentence and 60 hours' unpaid work. She was banned from driving for one year. Neil Turner was given a one-year suspended sentence and 100 hours' unpaid work. They were each ordered to pay £250 compensation to the teenager.
