Pictured: Tracy Whitehead, 55, waited in her dressing gown for teacher Michelle Matthews to arrive at All Stars Dance Academy in Bournemouth
A grandmother described as loud and aggressive grabbed a children’s dance teacher by the throat in a row over classes, a court heard.
Tracy Whitehead, 55, waited in her dressing gown for teacher Michelle Matthews to arrive at All Stars Dance Academy in Bournemouth, Dorset one morning.
A row erupted between the two over how the youngsters – aged between five and nine – should be taught with ‘wild’ Whitehead grabbing Mrs Matthews by the neck before leaving.
The teacher said she was so distressed by the assault she was unable to teach her students and had to leave.
Whitehead claimed she and her granddaughters, who competed in freestyle dance competitions all over the country and had won numerous trophies, have now been blacklisted from dance schools in their hometown of Bournemouth, Dorset.
She denied the attack but was convicted of assault by beating at Poole magistrates’ court earlier this year and given an 18-month conditional discharge and charges of £300.
She appealed against the conviction and the charge was upheld at Bournemouth Crown Court. A judge ordered Whitehead to pay a further £100 towards the cost of the appeal.
Whitehead was issued with a restraining order to keep her away from the victim, which is in place until December next year.
‘Distressed’: Dance teacher Michelle Matthews (pictured) told the court she couldn’t continue with her class after she was attacked by Whitehead
Pictured: Grandmother Tracey Whitehead, 55, said she plans to appeal the court’s decision
The court was told the incident happened on September 4 last year at the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth.
Whitehead had a reputation for being ‘loud and aggressive’ at previous dance competitions.
She was said to have been ‘wild and raging’ when she confronted Mrs Matthews, who was not injured and there was no CCTV footage of the incident.
Speaking after losing her appeal, Whitehead said she is now considering appealing the conviction again at the High Court.
She said: ‘I shouted and I swore, and if they charged me with that, I would have pleaded guilty. But they said I grabbed her and I didn’t do it.
‘I do have a big mouth, I do shout and scream. I can come across as aggressive but it’s because I’m passionate and emotional.
‘But I’ve never had a barney with any of the mums there in two years, all the kids called me nan.’
Pictured: All Stars Dance Academy in Bournemouth where the assault took place