Charity Boss Accused Of Assault

The Director of a Gloucester home for the severely mentally ill assaulted his deputy manager during an angry staff meeting, a court heard.

Julian Baxter, the 55-year-old director of Barnwood House Trust charity, which runs Manor Day Home for the Elderly, allegedly hurled a coffee table across a staff room, grabbed deputy manager Pamela Bowen by the arm and tried to yank her out of her chair.

Baxter pleaded not guilty to common assault when he appeared before Cheltenham magistrates yesterday at the start of a two-day trial.

The court heard how a tense meeting to discuss the imminent closure of a special unit in a bungalow in the Barnwood Road home for patients suffering from dementia was abandoned.

The trust director, who lives in The Park, Cheltenham, allegedly shouted at Miss Bowen, told her to shut up and get out of the meeting, before assaulting her.

Prosecuting solicitor Edward Counsell said: “A meeting was held on October 9 where the topic of conversation was the closure of part of the day home, issues regarding the future and job security.

“There was understandable tension and the defendant lost his temper. He told Pamela Bowen to leave the meeting and she refused.

“The defendant then came over, pushed aside a coffee table, grabbed her by her upper left arm in an attempt to physically eject her from the meeting.

“It was a physical and aggressive touching without her consent.”

In evidence Miss Bowen said: “We were concerned about the future of six to eight people with severe mental conditions when the bungalow closed.

“We wanted to know what was going to happen to them and staff wanted to know about their own jobs.

“We’d worked out a list of questions and when I got up to thank Mr Baxter for attending and to make a statement he shouted at me to sit down.

“He said that he was going to chair the meeting. He started to ask other members of staff questions in an aggressive, intimidating and hostile manner. Mr Baxter ended up shouting at people whose views conflicted with his own.

“He marched over to me, flung aside the coffee table which went into the middle of the room and shouted at me to leave.

“I said ‘No’ and he grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out of my chair.

“The meeting was in uproar and I was so shocked that I sat back down. He was in a temper and completely lost it.

“Mr Baxter let go of my arm, said that the meeting would be reconvened later and he then marched out of the room.

“I was then called into the office and told that I was suspended for the rest of the day.”

Home manager Lilian Harris said, in evidence: “Mr Baxter stormed into the room in an agitated state.

“He shouted at Pam when she stood up, told her to shut up and sit down. He was aggressive and shouting.

“All Pam wanted was to explain her concerns to Mr Baxter but he crossed the line and assaulted her.”

Defending barrister Nadeem Aullybocus, asked: “Was it not the case that Mr Baxter was just being blunt and straightforward and when he walked over to her at no point did he touch her?”

The trial continues.