Grandfather swung hockey stick at dog walker

Tina Crawshaw was walking along Kirklees Way in Thornhill with her ten-year-old sister when she noticed Frank Brearley walking his two greyhound dogs.

Huddersfield Magistrates’ Court heard the pair had had previous run-ins as Mr Brearley’s pets were often aggressive towards Ms Crawshaw’s dog.

Just after 11am on December 9 last year, she hung back for several minutes to allow Mr Brearley, then 73, to walk off – but he laid in wait in Smithy Parade before repeatedly swearing at her.

Ms Crawshaw said: “It was a really aggressive tone. I felt really threatened – I had my little sister with me.

“I called him disgusting and he said ‘I’ll show you disgusting’ and came at me with the hockey stick.”

The stick, which Mr Brearley used as a walking aid, narrowly missed Ms Crawshaw’s head. She carried on walking down the road while Mr Brearley continued to yell abuse at her.

In a police interview, Mr Brearley referred to Ms Crawshaw as ‘it’ and admitted swearing at her, adding that he did not like her and was justified in calling her the names that he did.

Ben Crosland, prosecuting, told Brearley: “You have an implacable hostility to this woman and took this opportunity to vent your feelings towards her.”

Zahid Majeed, defending, said that Ms Crawshaw had approached Mr Brearley and instigated the argument. He said Mr Brearley accepted that he had been abusive but not that he swung the hockey stick.

District Judge Marie Mallen found Mr Brearley, of Smithy Parade, guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment alarm or distress and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. He will be sentenced on April 11.