A BUSINESSMAN hurled a barrage of foul-mouthed abuse at a female traffic warden before squirting her with a water pistol.

Cumbria County Council employee Amy Harrison wiped tears away from her face as she described to magistrates how she was left ‘humiliated and embarrassed’ by the incident.

She said that 53-year-old Timothy Coupe used foul and abusive language before he sprayed her in the face and chest with water from the six-inch toy pistol – causing her shirt to become see-through.

The two became embroiled in a row over a £35 parking ticket, a court heard.

Coupe, of Rivers View, Clappersgate, near Ambleside, denied using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He said he was a ‘gentleman who went to public school’ and would ‘never use those words’. 

He also rebuffed claims he squirted the water pistol and described Miss Harrison’s version of events as ‘absolutely fictitious’.

But the divorcee was found guilty by magistrates and told to pay more than £2,000 in fines, costs and compensation.

Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet member responsible for highways, Cllr Keith Little, described the incident as ‘unacceptable and outrageous’.

“Be they parking enforcement officers, social workers or someone working in a library, there is a boundary which must not be crossed,” he said.

Stephanie Thomas, UNISON North West Regional Manager said: “Traffic wardens work hard to help keep the roads safe and traffic moving. They have to brave the elements every day, but they shouldn’t have to brave abuse.”

The incident unfolded on the afternoon of June 18 on Compston Road in Ambleside when the on-duty warden approached Coupe’s Land Rover which was parked in a loading bay outside Boots pharmacy.

When she told him it was illegal to park there he put his finger to his mouth and gestured at her to ‘shush’, South Lakeland Magistrates Court heard.

Miss Harrison then walked towards the front of his car to note down the registration number.

When she told him to expect his ticket in the post he used foul and abusive language to describe her appearance. 

She recalled how Coupe pulled out the water pistol, said to be in his car to help train his Newfoundland puppy which was sat in the boot and barked when approached by strangers.

“I felt humiliated and embarrassed,” she said. “I still do now. I can’t tell you how distressing it is to have a grown man shout those words at you. I was wearing a white shirt and it went see through in the middle of Ambleside.”

The court heard Miss Harrison had a body camera attached to her but recording of the incident failed because there was not enough memory on the device.

Coupe then took to the witness stand and told how he felt dizzy so decided to pull over for a moment.
As he did a call came through on his mobile phone. “I gestured in a polite manner I was only going to be a minute and she walked away from my car,” he said.

“After I finished my call I decided to pull off. I then heard Amy saying I’ll send you this in the post as she was waving her machine at me. I was taken aback and shocked because I thought she understood my gesture.”

When asked by John Appleby, prosecuting, why Miss Harrison would lie, Coupe replied: “I don’t know why she has felt the need to do this unless she felt undermined by me in a big posh Land Rover.”

He said the call lasted three minutes at the most but the court also heard from Josef Oxenhandler, who was on the other end of the phone call, who said it lasted around 10 minutes. 

Returning a guilty verdict, chair of magistrates Anne Howson said: “Miss Harrison was a credible witness whose recollection of the incident, even today, caused distress.

“Her account is clear and detailed when she described how the water hit her - making her top see through - and how embarrassed she was by this.”

Coupe, who has no previous convictions, was fined £1,000, made to pay £620 costs and a £100 victim surcharge. He was also ordered to pay £400 compensation to Miss Harrison.

Suzie Kavanagh, defending Coupe, said: “He is recently divorced and is currently in a poor financial situation. He currently earns around £18,800 per year.”

Afterwards she said her client was considering appealing the conviction.