More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A pub landlady and her family were left bloodied and bruised when they were brutally attacked by three customers – at a Christening.
Alison Woodbridge was punched in the face and kicked in the groin by a man who was a guest at the function held in her pub, The Hawkenbury, near Headcorn.
Two other men attacked her husband Jonathan, 56, and their 22-year-old son Daniel, pinning them both to the ground.
Mr Woodbridge’s head was cracked open by a broken glass and his son suffered a split lip which needed stitches. Mrs Woodbridge, 54, lost a tooth and suffered severe bruising.
"It all happened so quickly," Mrs Woodbridge said. "I went to call 999 and I was told to 'put the phone down'. The next thing I knew, I was punched twice and kicked once. We are all pretty shaken by what’s happened."
"The next thing I knew, I was punched twice and kicked once. We are all pretty shaken by what’s happened..." - Alison Woodbridge
The group fled when the mother-of-three was able to call the police on Sunday evening.
All three of the victims were taken to Tunbridge Wells Hospital, in Pembury, by South East Coast Ambulance Service.
Mrs Woodbridge said the men had been at the inn since the afternoon and lashed out at about 10.50pm after they were repeatedly asked to leave. The pub had stopped serving at 10.30pm.
It is thought the trio, who are aged between 30 and 45, are from the traveller community.
The mother-of-three said: "We didn't know them but the woman who booked the christening had been in a couple of times.
"I had no idea they were travellers until they all arrived. We had been told there would be 100 people but there was more like 180. They had been on their best behaviour all day."
The large group left in pick-up trucks and 4x4s. They turned left onto Hawkenbury Road, towards Staplehurst.
The pub was closed until 5pm on Monday while staff cleared the debris.
Kent Police are investigating the incident. Officers have spoken to witnesses and are reviewing CCTV.
