Instagram threats: Drinks thrown in shopping centre brawl over relationship breakup

Charley Hunt sent the expletive-laden threatening message to the woman just two days before Christmas, in which she said her shock would “make you feel like you’ll want to kill yourself”.

A day later, she assaulted the woman’s boyfriend in the town centre, cutting his lip, having previously said he had “s*** coming to him”.

It was part of an “ongoing dispute”, but magistrates said that Hunt “took it to a new level”.

She was fined and a three-month restraining order was put in place.

Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday (February 2) that the assault victim and 26-year-old Hunt used to be friends,  and that he had been dating her friend.

Charley Hunt. Photo: Facebook.

But after their relationship ended, a dispute arose which caused them to fall out, defence barrister Luke Jameson told the court.

It resulted in Hunt sending the man’s girlfriend a threatening Instagram message on December 23, last year.

In it, she said: “Listen to this carefully you ugly dumb b****, if I hear one more thing about your dirty p**** man trying to f*** with my friend then I’m coming for you.

“[The assault victim] has tried this today and has got s*** coming to him. I will come to you and f*** you up more differently than I can ever imagine.

“Your shock will make you feel like you’ll want to kill yourself. This is one warning you’ll get from me.”

Mr Jameson said that the next day, Christmas Eve, Hunt, of Blake Crescent in Stratton St Margaret, saw her former friend in the Brunel shopping centre “by chance”.

“They saw each other on the escalators, the defendant did attack him in the Brunel Plaza by throwing a drink over him.

“[The victim] in self-defence punched the defendant back to the face and knocked her to the ground, causing a large bruise to her face, and also threw his drink over her.

“She received injuries herself, which I would suggest were more severe than the injuries she inflicted on [him].”

Brunel shopping centre

He added that Hunt accepted that the message sent was “unacceptable”.

Mr Jameson said that there was “significant mitigation” based on the falling out, as well as her previous good character and the injuries that were caused to her.

Jane Flew, chairman of the bench, said that it was a “particularly unpleasant and unnecessary incident”.

She said: “You sent a deeply distressing message with significant threats, it would certainly have led her to feel anxious.

“The assault, we accept that there were no major injuries, and there was a background of deeply unpleasant, unnecessary behaviour between all of you. But you took it to a new level acting as you did.”

They had intended to impose a community order, but after it was heard that no community penalty was appropriate, Ms Flew decided to impose a higher fine instead.

Hunt was fined £200 for the malicious communications offence, and £120 for assault, having earlier pleaded guilty.

She was ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £34 victim surcharge, whilst a three-month restraining order preventing Hunt from contacting either victim, directly or indirectly, was granted.

“From the defendant’s point of view, she doesn’t want to have any contact in any event.”