A foul-mouthed drunken businesswoman has been convicted of assault after verbally abusing a 16-year-old waitress and punching her mother.
Nicky Sung, 44, had been at a boozy meal with her family at a tapas bar when she decided to pay an unexpected late-night visit to her friend’s Indian restaurant.
The restaurant had recently received a one-star food hygiene rating and Sung decided to give its owner, Ryan Meah, advice on how to solve the problems.
She arrived on July 1 last year at the upscale Blue Mango restaurant with her fiance, mum and friends.
Sung, the director of an IT consulting company, began speaking loudly about how to manage the restaurant before turning her attention to a 16-year-old waitress who was sitting down waiting for her mum to pick her up.
Pictured, Nicky Sung who has been convicted of assault following a drunken argument
The businesswoman claimed to be acting in self-defence and that she was scared someone had a knife
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named, told Wirral Magistrates: ‘I was with the manager’s son Cameron and were just sitting down waiting for the last table to go so that we could go.
‘I remember the party coming in and they were talking about how the business was going down the drain.
‘They said they had never seen the business that bad.
‘She was saying bad things about the staff and offering to buy half the business.
‘All of the staff were shocked that other people were trying to have an opinion on it when it was none of their business.
‘The lady was saying something about how we were not helping the business, when we were sat down apparently doing nothing.
‘In fact we had just finished with our shift and I was just sitting down waiting for my mum to come.
‘The woman kept coming up to Cameron to ask him to talk about something, about her wanting to get involved at the business.’
Cameron agreed to go outside with Sung where she gave him a drunken heart-to-heart.
Then around 10 minutes later, the waitress’ mother came inside the restaurant.
The mother and the waitress went outside to see Cameron and Sung when things escalated.
The teenager continued: ‘She (Sung) said I had been going around lying about something inside the restaurant and I responded ‘I have not done anything wrong’.
‘She then got aggressive towards me and I went back inside and said to her family that they needed to come out and get her as she was getting too aggressive.
‘Cameron was still outside talking to the woman and was still trying to say that I had been lying about what had been said in the restaurant and my mum was trying to get me in the car.
‘My mum got dragged by the back of her head by the woman who was speaking to Cameron and she was punching her while on the floor.
‘I was shouting at her to get off but she was punching my mum in the chest.
‘She kept hold of her hair and ended up dragging her to the floor.
‘I was trying to stop her from doing so but she kicked me in the stomach.’
The court heard she had gin and tonic and red wine on the night of the incident and was ‘six out of 10’ on a scale of drunkenness
The Blue Mango Indian restaurant where the incident took place. The establishment has since got an improved hygiene rating
The waitress’ mother told the hearing: ‘As we came out the door the two people were having a general conversation about the restaurant as it had suffered with its hygiene rating at the time.
‘But the conversation totally changed and the lady’s body language completely changed and she started taking her jacket off.
‘I thought this was getting heated and her demeanour was heated.
‘Her body language was directed at this point to both my daughter and Cameron.
‘I just said ‘What is going on?’ as I didn’t understand it but the lady was very aggressive and she started taking her jacket off very sternly.
‘I remember her saying to my daughter, “I am not f***ing scared of you” and then she went to me, “I’m not f***ing scared of you either”.
‘I said ‘you do not need to be. I’m just her mum picking her up.’ I could tell that the lady’s personality was irate.’
She added: ‘I was just focused on where my daughter was and I put my body in front of her and tried to get her in the car.
‘But I was pulled to the floor and felt an impact. My first instinct was to cover my face.
‘I wear contact lenses and should they come out I would not be able to drive or see my daughter.
‘I was punched and kicked and I saw the shoes of the lady on the floor when she was trying to get up.
‘I was absolutely petrified and terrified. I’d never been in a situation like that in my life.
‘The lady was just screaming and making hand movements and pointing.
‘At this point I was on the phone to 999. It was absolutely frantic. My hand was pouring with blood.’
Bride-to-be Sung, who lives in a nearby £380,000 in the village of Ranhill, Merseyside, had known Mr Meah for 13 years.
Police called to the restaurant located Sung and the rest of her party in a nearby pub.
She later claimed she had acted in self-defence in the belief Grace or Cameron had a knife and were ‘prepared to use it’.
The court heard she had gin and tonic and red wine on the night of the incident and was ‘six out of 10’ on a scale of drunkenness.
Interior of the Blue Mango restaurant. Sung said had known the owner for 13 years
The restaurant (pictured) had received a one-star hygiene rating
She later claimed she had acted in self-defence in the belief Grace or Cameron had a knife and were ‘prepared to use it. ‘
On police bodycam footage Sung could be heard telling the officer how prior to the altercation she had been having a conversation with Mr Meah about his business and said she was offering ‘advice and support.’
In her defence Sung denied offering to buy half the restaruant, saying: ‘The waitress came out of the restaurant and said to Cameron: “What the f*** are you speaking to her for?”
‘I took off my jacket because it was hot and sadly it is that time of life for me. I should just have let it go.
‘But there was mention of a knife and I was terrified.
‘I have a clinical background. I have seen stabbings. I have seen the horrible impact that it causes to people. I was terrified albeit in a protective way.’
Sung was found guilty of assaulting the mum causing her actual bodily harm and will be sentenced next month. She was cleared of assaulting the waitress.
JP Thomas Rock said: ‘As a bench, we feel your actions on the night were not in self-defence of yourself or another. Your actions were not reasonable or proportionate.’
The restaurant has been given a five-star food hygiene rating since the incident.