It was meant to be a time of celebration for a 50th birthday.
But a night out for a group of eight women descended into violence when former tip firm boss Sam Hunter attacked one of them in a row over a taxi.
The 25-year-old hurled vile abuse at members of the party, calling his victim a “wrinkly old s***g” and “Madge from Benidorm” as he poured a dog bowl full of water over her head.
Catherine Richardson said she felt lucky to be alive after Hunter struck her in the face, causing her stumble to the ground and hit her head.
During the row close to the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Slaithwaite, Hunter also knocked a tray of chips from another member of the group, Alexandra Howarth, branding her “fat enough” and stamped on another woman’s phone as she tried to call police.
Hunter was found guilty by Kirklees magistrates of assault and criminal damage and sentenced to a suspended jail term.
He laughed as he left the court a free man today, pulling out his mobile phone to film a waiting Examiner photographer.
During his two day trial he blamed his conduct on everyone except himself.
He claimed that he acted in self-defence and slammed the group as “p****ed, rough f****g women who wanted trouble.”
Hunter accused people in Huddersfield as having a vendetta against him due to negative publicity surrounding the Lockwood site he abandoned which repeatedly caught fire.
He even pointed the finger at the Examiner for “taking great delight” in reporting on this criminal behaviour.
But magistrates found the prosecution case against him to be credible and convicted him of assaulting Ms Richardson and damaging Ms Brook’s mobile phone.
They did clear him of assaulting Ms Howarth as they said they believed he acted recklessly.
The trial heard evidence from several members of the group of friends who were out celebrating on May 28.
At around midnight they decided to call for a cab and waited in the office of nearby Slawit & Golcar cars for one to arrive.
When it pulled up outside Hunter and his friend Christine Barber got into it and one of the group, Samantha Bullas, went over to the cab to point out their mistake and ask them to leave.
She said she did this politely but Hunter, who had earlier been ejected from the Shoulder of Mutton, was aggressive.
Ms Bullas described him as “unhinged and totally irrational” in his behaviour said she feared that he was going to kill her.
Magistrates heard from Ms Howarth who said that Hunter turned on her as she came to her friend’s aid.
He knocked a tray of cheesy chips and donner meat from her hand telling her; “You don’t need any food, you’re fat enough.”
Her food ended up all over the ground and Hunter snatched Karen Brook’s phone from her and stamped on it as she tried to call police.
Hunter accused the women of being the aggressors and claimed that the melee started after Ms Bullas threw a bottle of water over himself and Ms Barber while they were inside the taxi.
He said that Ms Barber was responsible for the assault on Ms Richardson and his friend backed up his version of events in her evidence, although she failed to tell police about this in her original statement.
But Hunter, of Boothroyd Lane in Dewsbury, was filmed by another member of the group laughing about his exploits in a nearby takeaway.
He was heard to brag to her: “If you had not been there I would have smashed the f**k out of them.”
Magistrates also heard credible evidence from a 17-year-old male witness who said he saw Hunter hitting Ms Richardson.
Ms Richardson told in a victim impact statement how she had suffered after he pushed her with such force that she fell backwards and hit her head on the ground.
She said: “I was scared and upset because I didn’t know what he was capable of.
“When I was on the floor I was in a lot of pain.
“I’m devastated and upset and kept sitting here thinking I was lucky to survive.”
Hunter hit the headlines after the former Hunter’s tip in Lockwood caught fire after being abandoned last summer.
It cost taxpayers more than £1m to clean it up and Hunter could still face prosecution over his involvement with the site.
It was closed after his company Sam H Services was stripped of its environmental permit.
Then in January Hunter was handed a suspended prison sentence after illegally dumping waste at land in Horbury near Wakefield.
He denied two environmental offences but was found guilty after a trial heard how he dumped huge piles of contaminated waste near to the River Calder without the relevant permits.
His solicitor Maryam Ahmed described him as a “hard-working” and valued member of a concrete firm.
She asked magistrates not to send Hunter to prison as he has two children, although neither live with him, and is the only person who can correctly operate the equipment for his firm which has been contracted by Yorkshire Water and Network Rail.
Magistrates added an extra three months to a 26 week suspended jail term handed to Hunter in January.
He must abide by a three month electronically-monitored curfew between 8pm and 5.30am and pay Ms Richardson £200 compensation.
Hunter also has to pay £175 compensation to Ms Brook for her damaged mobile phone as well as £400 court costs and £85 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the trial, Samantha Bullas, who in evidence described Hunter as "totally irrational" and "unhinged", said: "I am happy with the verdict".
