Huntley Thawe, 48, was arguing with Anna Thawe, 41, in front of his kids when he had to be restrained by three officers armed with batons in Worcestershire, JPs were told
One of the stars of the hit Channel 4 show ‘The Renovation Game’ assaulted police officers as he rowed with his estranged wife outside a McDonald’s, a court heard.
TV Builder Huntley Thawe, 48, was arguing with Anna Thawe, 41, in front of his kids when he had to be restrained by three officers armed with batons in Worcestershire, JPs were told.
Magistrates heard his former partner had refused to hand over their six and nine-year-old children’s passports in the lead up to the incident on April 15.
The father-of-two was restrained after using his silver Citroen van to block the path of his wife’s silver Volkswagen Beatle outside the restaurant in Redditch.
The court heard the TV star came within inches of his wife’s car window to remonstrate with her in front of stunned customers before police arrived.
He is accused of injuring two of the officers during the struggle that ensued in the car park as they tried to arrest him.
Thawe, of Kidderminster, Worcs., denies using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, obstructing a constable in execution of their duty and two counts of assault against a police officer.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Sarah Heard told Redditch Magistrates’ Court: ‘Officers were called to the scene at 12.32pm on the day in question.
‘Anna Thawe calls the police for help due to a domestic dispute.
‘She tells the officers that she is outside McDonalds and tells them “my ex-partner is blocking me and will not let me leave”.
‘The first officer on the scene was PC Simon Riley who arrived at 12.46pm.
‘He sees two vehicles in the car park. He is escorted by another police officer.
‘They see a silver Citroen van belonging to the defendant in the road between McDonald’s car park.
‘It appeared to be blocking the rear of a white Volkswagen Beatle belonging to Anna Thawe.
‘The defendant is sat in the van with his children. He tells the officers that he is having ‘a domestic’.
‘He is picking up his children. His wife is not giving him their passports and he wants to take them abroad.
‘The defendant is not co-operative with the officers as they interview him.
One of the stars of the hit Channel 4 show ‘The Renovation Game’ assaulted police officers as he rowed with his estranged wife outside a McDonald’s, a court heard
Thawe, of Kidderminster, Worcs., denies using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, obstructing a constable in execution of their duty and two counts of assault against a police officer.
‘He refuses to leave the vehicle or move it and demands that they get the passports. They say that he is under arrest for disturbing the peace.
‘It is at the point that officers tell him that he is under arrest that he starts to get physical.
‘One officer received an injury to his elbow and left wrist while the other received an injury by his neck.
‘These are the assaults and his refusal to leave the car is the obstructing offence. The defendant takes a video near to the end of the offence.
‘The defence case is that there is no intent on Mr Thawe’s part and that he was acting in self-defence and the force used by the officers was unlawful.’
The father-of-two was restrained after using his silver Citroen van to block the path of his wife’s silver Volkswagan Beatle outside the restaurant in Redditch
Witness Elizabeth Tia, a drive-through worker at McDonalds, told the court she saw defendant acting aggressively and yelling at a woman in a car.
She said: ‘I was in the drive-through taking orders.
‘I looked out the window and I could see a lady parked in her car with the windows closed and the defendant shouting at her through the window.
‘He was shouting about the children’s passports and why he was not allowed them.
‘He came across very aggressively.
‘He was pointing while shouting at her and his face was scrunched up. He was standing right at the car window.
‘Two police officers originally attended. They approached him his van.
‘I looked back about a minute later and the officers were trying to get him out of the van.
‘One was grabbing him by his upper arms. They were both by the driver’s side of the van.
‘They were still trying to wrestle him from the van, and at that point another police car arrived. The third officer goes to the passenger side of the van and takes the two children out of the van.
‘My manager then came out and took them into the restaurant. At this point they are still trying to get him out of the van.
‘The third officer on the passenger side was trying to push him out, but he was standing firm. They then attempted to put his arms behind his back, but he resisted.
‘One of the officers then used a baton to hit him between the shoulder blades.
‘When I looked back around, the defendant was lying on the floor on his back, just by the van. He had been handcuffed and was being led towards the police van.’
The case continues.
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