71 y.o. widow jailed after poking teenager in the chest during confrontation

**Moongirl** · October 1st, 2009, 06:42 PM

Disabled widow, 71 charged with assault after she prodded teenager
By Jaya Narain
Last updated at 9:54 PM on 01st October 2009

A disabled pensioner was hauled before the courts and charged with assault after she prodded a teenage 'hoodie' in the chest with her finger.

Renate Bowling, 71, confronted the 17-year-old youth in the street after stones were thrown at her home.

During the conversation the frail widow, who fled to Britain from Communist East Germany and walks with a steel frame, prodded the youth in the chest with her finger.

Renate Bowling, 71, who uses a walking frame, pleaded guilty to assault after prodding a teenager in the chest for throwing stones at her windows

Police officers were called to the quiet residential street and the teenager told them he had been assaulted.

Yesterday Mrs Bowling admitted a charge of assault when she appeared before magistrates in Blackpool.

Magistrates gave her a conditional discharge for six months and ordered her to pay £50 costs.

Afterwards the great-grandmother said anti-social youths were left to run riot while she was hauled into court.

She said: 'What justice is there? There are a group of youths who throw gravel at my window and use foul language against me.

'I saw one of them throw the stones against my window from my bedroom. I went out and found him hiding behind a wall.

I poked my finger out at him and told him what I thought of him. He called me "some ****ing German woman".

'Then the police arrested me - I thought "What a joke. What is going on?"
'That lad had held my wrists and bruised them and he had the gall to call it self-defence.

'The police put me in the back of their van like a sack of spuds and took me to the station where they questioned me. Then a few days later I was told I was being prosecuted. I could not believe it, neither could my family.

'I had to borrow £20 from a friend to pay the court costs as I only had £30 on me. It has all been a nightmare.'

The court was told Mrs Bowling survived the Second World War in Berlin but was later trapped in East Germany.

She managed to escape and then fell in love with a British Army sergeant from the Royal Engineers.

The couple made a home in Britain and Mrs Bowling worked as a furrier. She has three sons, ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

But recently youths have made her life a misery.

On May 12 this year stones were thrown at her home in Thornton Cleveleys and comments were made by youths towards her in the street.

Julie Reilly, prosecuting, told magistrates: 'This defendant says he was playing football in the street when there was an incident between himself and the defendant.

'Had the defendant accepted her criminality in prodding the aggrieved in the chest there and then, this could well have been dealt with in a different way.'

Nigel Beeson, defending, said Mrs Bowling had given the defendant 'a piece of her mind and addressed him frankly'.

He added: This is a very sad case for those concerned - a 71-year-old granny charged with assaulting a 17-year-old boy. It was a prod, there were no injuries.'

Originally Mrs Bowling had intended to deny the offence but after a long deliberation between the Crown Prosecution Service and her defence, Mrs Bowling admitted the charge of assault.

Read more: Disabled pensioner who prodded stone-throwing hoodie in the chest is prosecuted for ASSAULT World War Two Renate Bowling German | Mail Online

**sparkly** · October 1st, 2009, 08:46 PM

Those little bastards should've been arrested, not her!

**Mivvi21** · October 1st, 2009, 09:41 PM

Unbelievable. It seems that more and more people are being arrested for defending themselves against good for nothing shitheads like this these days. No wonder we have a load of unruly miscreants running the streets without a care in the world. No matter what they do they won't have to face any consequences so they just run wild. It's total bullshit.

**McJag** · October 1st, 2009, 10:33 PM

I wish she horse whipped his sorry ass.

**Kittylady** · October 1st, 2009, 10:41 PM

This is fucking disgusting! If that had been my grandad they wouldn't have poked 'em in the chest, he would have had at 'em and their parents would have finished the job themselves when they found out what their little darlings had been up to. The kids today do what they want because they know that no-one can/dares stop them. The shit they get away with is unbelievable. Example - I worked for an organisation that dealt with kids who have been in trouble with the Courts. They'd turn up and walk into the building smoking weed and all we were allowed to say to them was that smoking was not allowed inside the building and ask them to leave. And we were next door to a fucking police station!

There are no boundaries any more, no rules that they have to abide by if they choose not to and no-one is allowed to even look at them the wrong way in case it damages their precious little minds and leads to everyone being sued. Basically, as far as the future goes, we're all fucked with little bastards like this growing into adulthood around us.

**MoodyJenny86** · October 2nd, 2009, 01:43 AM

Woooow...really?

**crumpet** · October 2nd, 2009, 09:21 AM

England's legal system sucks ass big time.

**twitchy2.0** · October 2nd, 2009, 01:38 PM

**DolceVita** · October 2nd, 2009, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by Moongirl

I think I would have jailed her over the outfit she's wearing!

Jeeez! If you can't wear what you want aged 71 when can you?I'm tired with hooded chav scum in the UK , every day there is a new story about the twats. Throw them in the river.