Sacked former Shrewsbury tuck shop lady caused 'havoc' in public school rampage
A former tuck shop lady sacked from her job at Shrewsbury School and banned from the grounds caused "havoc" when she turned up and assaulted a member of staff with a fire extinguisher, a court heard.
Gillian Stokes swung the extinguisher twice at school estates manager Jonathan Taylor - missing the first time and taking a huge chunk of plaster out of a corridor wall.
But she hit him in the leg the second time as "the red mist descended", Telford Magistrates Court heard.
The 44-year-old appeared at court yesterday to plead guilty to three charges of breaching a restraining order, criminal damage and assault in relation to Friday's events.
Mrs Abigail Hall, prosecuting, said Stokes also sprayed the foam extinguisher in Mr Taylor's face from point-blank range before fleeing the building and getting into her car.
The school said in a statement after the incident on Friday that as police arrived Stokes was doing high-speed "doughnuts" around the school's prized cricket field as students were out practising.
Mrs Hall told the court Stokes was "driving around the school grounds" and got out of her car when police arrived and attempted to flee officers on foot.
It took two to pin her to the ground and restrain her as she shouted obscenities before being arrested, the prosecutor said.
Stokes, of Cadfael Cottage, The Lea, Lea Cross, Shrewsbury, had been sacked from her job at the prestigious £30,000-a-year school and took them to an employment tribunal, claiming she was unfairly dismissed after being fired in May last year.
But although she won the hearing in Birmingham earlier this month, she did not receive any compensation and is currently unemployed.
Mr Paul Nicholas, for Stokes, said: "This lady would have never been before the courts but for what has happened with her old employer.
"She does not recall doing that (attacking Mr Taylor).
"It may be the red mist descended so much in her eyes she just blanked it out.
"She worked at the school for 17 years, and her mother before that for 34.
"She would like to apologise in open court to Mr Taylor. It has been a torrid, torrid time for her."
Magistrates sentenced Stokes to six months in prison but opted to suspend the jail term for a period of 12 months.
Mrs Sally Themans, chairman of the bench, said: "Regardless of how aggrieved you feel about your treatment and how wronged you may feel, you cannot and must not go into a school premises from which you have a restraining order and create havoc the way you did last week.
"It is very serious, there were children present.
"Don't go anywhere near that school otherwise you will be here again and going to prison."
Stokes was also ordered to pay £250 compensation to Mr Taylor, £250 compensation to the school for the damage to the wall, £85 court costs and an £80 Government victim surcharge.
