Assault by owner of Skegness Christian bookshop and cafe was ‘utterly out of character’, court told

The owner of a Skegness Christian bookshop and cafe who assaulted a woman in a dispute over the use of an alleyway between his premises and a charity shop next door behaved ‘utterly out of character’, a court was told.

John Ramsden, 63, of High Street, appeared at Boston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, where he admitted committing assault by beating in Lumley Road on August 1.

The court was told that there had been a dispute regarding a door being padlocked in an alleyway between the two properties, which also served as a fire escape.

It was said Ramsden, who had no previous convictions, was retired from the Royal Air Force and had left with an exemplary military record.

Fining him £80 for the offence, magistrates said Ramsden must have suffered ‘some sort of aberration’ on the date in question.

In addition to the fine, Ramsden was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation to the defendant and a total of £119 in court costs and charges.