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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Gemma Bradley

Wetherspoons workers attacked after asking sex offender to leave

A man who assaulted and threatened two Wetherspoons workers while drunk was jailed.

Dean Newland, 33, of HMP Altcourse but formerly of no fixed address, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates court on Wednesday.

He appeared before the courts on three counts of assault for an incident in the Richard John Blackler branch of JD Wetherspoon on Great Charlotte Street, Liverpool city centre, and one count of failing to comply with sex offenders register notification requirements.

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Yvonne Dobson, prosecuting, said that on October 10 at around 11.45pm, victims Sophie Barends and Reece Wilde were both at work in the Wetherspoon pub. Ms Barends noticed Newland standing near a group of men in the pub and asking them for money, so she approached and asked him to leave the premises.

He then became aggressive and demanded a drink, and when she refused, Newland sat at a nearby table which had a half-finished drink on it. Ms Barends tried to remove the glass from the table, as “he was acting in a very aggressive and threatening manner” so she was concerned, the court was told.

She asked her colleagues for assistance, at which point Mr Wilde approached and also attempted to get Newland to leave. He continued behaving aggressively towards the Wetherspoons staff, and threatened Ms Barends, claiming his sister would “assault her”.

Newland then assaulted Ms Barends, pushing her in the chest area. Ms Dobson said: “The defendant poured the half pint over the floor and raised the glass as if he was going to throw it.

“He continued making threats, and then leaned over, touching her left breast area. Ms Barends felt instant pain at this point.

"He continued to be aggressive until police arrived at the scene and arrested him.” Amy Butler, defending, said Newland had been remanded in custody since October 12, and had positively used alcohol addiction recovery programmes while in prison.

She said: “Mr Newland does not try to minimise his behaviour on that day but alcohol is his problem, he is an alcoholic.

"He is a different person from what happened on the 12th of October.

“He has completed a 12-step program and has begun a mentoring program.” The court was told Newland has failed to comply with notification requirements six times, and this offence took place while he was subject to two suspended sentences for previous sexual offences.

In sentencing, Judge James Hatton said: “The big problem in this case Mr Newland is your record of convictions. You have been put on trust by the court and you have continued to commit offences.

“I know that it is difficult for you because of your personal circumstances, but you know what your responsibilities are.”

Judge Hatton activated two previous suspended sentences, of eight weeks and 12 weeks each, both previously given for breaching the sexual offences notification order.

For the latest breach of a notification order, he was sentenced to a further 16 weeks, to be served consecutively. For the four cases of assault relating to the incident in Wetherspoons he was handed four weeks each, to be served concurrently.

In total, he was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment. A community order was also imposed, stating Newland cannot have alcohol of any kind on his person in Liverpool city centre for two years.

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