Husband and wife fined after they traded blows with rivals at show
A company boss and his wife from Shropshire who came to blows with rivals at London's Ideal Home Show have been fined and ordered to pay compensation to their victim.
Anthony Barlow Evans, 59, and his wife Tingting, 33, who run Oakdale Furniture Ltd in Ellesmere, were exhibiting Japanese imported massage chairs and foot massagers when violence erupted between them and their rivals on the stand run by Sasaki International Ltd of Milton Keynes.
City of London Magistrates Court was told that blows were rained down on the head of a prospective investor on their competitor's stand.
The Barlow Evans, of Willow Street, Ellesmere, claimed that the trouble began after their staff were abused by rivals from Sasaki International Ltd's stand.
However, they were convicted of assaulting 35-year-old Yuling Chen, a potential investor in Sasaki on March 20.
Mr Barlow Evans was fined £750 and his wife £500. They were each ordered to pay £620 costs and £150 compensation to the victim.
As she passed sentence, district judge Margaret Coleman told them: "
Whatever the hostility between you and Miss Chen certainly spilled over that day and the force used by you, Mr Barlow Evans, was not reasonable, there was repeated punching to her head. Miss Chen was not retaliating in any way, both of her arms were being held, and her head was down to protect herself. You were both perpetrators of this assault. Emotions overflowed that day."
The court was told that Barlow Evans had approached Sasaki's booth and told the firm's boss, Kelvin Choong, 48, who was standing by a 'Flabelos' machine: "Ask your dogs to **** off my stand."
Barlow Evans, whose main booth rent for the 19-day event was estimated to be £70,000, told the court: "I had received reports from our massage chair stand that they were getting a degree of intimidation."
He said there was a "history" between the companies from 2010, and accused Sasaki staff of posing as prospective customers, "provoking" his employees and taking photographs of his customers so he said he decided to approach Mr Choong. "I wanted to stop the attacks, stop the verbal abuse that had been going on," he said.
His wife told the court: "
My hair was pulled and I was kicked in my left shin by Miss Chen and reacted by pulling her hair as I lost my balance and fell down."
The Barlow Evanses, who said they each earn £300 per week, were also ordered to pay victim surcharges totalling £125.
