Hungerford businessman sentenced for town centre bar and road rage rampage

A BUSINESSMAN went berserk in a town centre bar, threatening to ‘glass’ a female publican and helping himself to drinks.

As customers cowered, Hugo Scott-Russell repeatedly refused to leave The Three Swans in Hungerford High Street.

On another occasion, he caused an accident on the M4 in which another motorist was injured – then abandoned his vehicle and fled the scene on foot.

Thirty-seven-year-old Scott-Russell, who lives in Park Street, Hungerford, appeared for sentencing for the public order offences at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, February 6.

The court heard that, for weeks beforehand, he had been trying to intimidate Robert ‘Fluey’ Hall and his wife Diane, publicans at The Plume in the High Street where he once worked.

On the night in question they were enjoying a drink in The Three Swans nearby when Scott-Russell sat opposite and began threatening them.

He told Mrs Hall: “I want to smash this glass in your face.”

Bar manager Donna Shaw asked him to leave and, when he refused, called police.

This prompted Scott-Russell to dash his glass to the floor and to become aggressive towards her, too.

He then went behind the bar and brazenly poured himself a fresh pint.

When Ms Shaw tried to stop him, he raised the glass above his head as if to smash it into her face, the court heard.

Fearing he was going to ‘glass’ her, Ms Shaw again called police.

Scott-Russell continued to help himself from behind the bar and refused to leave.

Upon eventually being arrested he answered “no comment” to questions.

He initially denied using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour towards Ms Shaw and using threatening or disorderly behaviour, both on December 12, 2023.

But he subsequently changed his pleas and admitted them.

District judge Kirsty Allman told him he had terrorised customers and staff alike during a 45-minute rampage and “everyone was too scared to stop you”.

She added: “These were deeply unpleasant, targeted offences against people in that pub which caused great distress to the public.”

Both Ms Shaw and Mrs Hall feared they would have a beer glass smashed in their face, she added.

To make matters worse, both offences were committed while Scott-Russell was on bail for the serious driving offences, Judge Allman noted.

She made Scott-Russell subject to a 12-month community order and required him to pay £200 costs and £114 compensation to Ms Shaw in lieu of an otherwise statutory victim services surcharge.

* Days before his sentencing for the public order offences, Scott-Russell had appeared at Reading Crown Court to be sentenced for driving an Audi Q3 dangerously on the eastbound carriageway of the M4 near Bradfield on November 10, 2023.

An accident ensued in which another person, Andrew Grove, was injured.

Judge Kirsty Real reminded Scott-Russell that, while in a rage following a row with his girlfriend, he had forced his vehicle between two others in lanes two and three, causing a collision before fleeing at illegally high speeds with sparks flying and airbags deployed.

She said: “An oncoming vehicle saw you coming and swerved but you hit the rear of it then hit another vehicle; that person had a child in the car - it could have been a lot worse.

“You then abandoned the vehicle and phoned police next day to ask where it was.”

She noted that Scott-Russell had struggled with substance abuse and had stopped taking prescribed medication without medical advice, resulting in a manic episode.

It could not be proved he had been intoxicated at the time, said Judge Real, but he had indubitably put other road users at serious risk.

She acknowledged Scott-Russell had “done the hard work” in successfully completing a substance misuse rehabilitation course.

He was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, suspended for 15 months.

In addition Scott-Russell was banned from driving for 12 months and will have to take an extended test before his licence is restored to him.