A VIOLENT young woman who assaulted a frail pensioner at Wellesbourne market has been remanded in custody after deliberately turning her back on a judge.
Despite Xena Randell’s history of violence, the judge at Warwick Crown Court had been prepared to give her a chance by deferring sentence of her after she had admitted the assault.
But as Judge Anthony Potter was explaining his decision to her, the 19-year-old of Burrows Street, Walsall, turned her back on him and petulantly refused to face him.
Eventually, after she repeatedly refused to turn round, the judge remanded her in custody to be sentenced at a later date.
Prosecutor Caroline Harris said Randell’s grandfather and her 70-year-old victim, who suffers from osteoporosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, belonged to a group which regularly organised coach trips.
In August last year Randell and her mother accompanied her grandfather on one such outing to Warwickshire, to visit Wellesbourne market and then Stratford.
But after arriving at the market Randell and her mother went off shopping, leaving her grandfather and the 70-year-old woman together, and returned later than expected.
When the woman complained Randell pushed her over and she hit her head. It later became apparent she had a fracture to her pelvis.
When Randell was arrested, she said she had pushed the pensioner out of the way ‘because she was in my space.’
Miss Harris pointed out Randell had 13 convictions for 49 offences, the majority of them for violence, and was currently subject to a suspended sentence for assaulting a police officer.
Turaj Hodge, defending, said Randell was in care from the age of nine until she was 18, but had recently been getting her relationship with her mother back on track, and was helping to care for her grandfather who has been given six months to live.
But while Judge Potter was talking to Randell before sentencing she turned her back to him and refused to turn back.
When a dock officer gently tried to persuade her to turn round, explaining the judge was not jailing her, Randell responded angrily: “I know, but I would rather be in prison. I can’t control my anger.”
When Judge Potter came back into court, with Randell still stubbornly with her back to him, he adjourned the case and remanded her in custody, telling Miss Hodge: “She has to understand that whatever acts the juvenile court have taken, she’s in the crown court now, and the crown court will not be bullied.”
Randell then refused to go with the dock officers, screaming and struggling with them until several more came into the dock
and she was finally led away.
