A drunk and foul-mouthed businesswoman has been convicted of assault after verbally abusing a 16-year-old waitress and hitting her mother.
Nicky Sung, 44, had been having a drunken meal at a tapas bar with her family when she decided to make a surprise visit to her friend’s Indian restaurant.
The restaurant recently received a one-star rating for food hygiene and Sung decided to advise the owner, Ryan Meah, on how to resolve the issues.
She arrived at the chic Blue Mango restaurant on July 1 last year with her fiancé, mother and friends.
Sung, the director of an IT consulting firm, started talking loudly about how to manage the restaurant before turning her attention to a 16-year-old waitress who was waiting for her mother to pick her up.
In the photo Nicky Sung, convicted of assault after a drunken argument
The businesswoman claimed to have acted in self-defense and was afraid that someone had a knife
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named, told Wirral Magistrates: “I was with Cameron, the manager’s son, and was just waiting for the last table to become available so we could go.
“I remember the party came in and they were talking about how bad things were going with the business.
‘They said they had never seen the business this bad.
‘She said bad things about the staff and offered to buy half of the company.
‘All the staff were shocked that other people were trying to have an opinion about it when it was none of their business.
“The lady said something about us not helping the company when we apparently did nothing.
‘Actually, we had just finished our shift and I was just waiting for my mother to come.
“The woman kept coming to Cameron to ask him to talk about something, that she would like to be involved in the case.”
Cameron agreed to go outside with Sung, where she gave him a drunken heart-to-heart.
About 10 minutes later the waitress’ mother entered the restaurant.
The mother and waitress went outside to see Cameron and Sung when things escalated.
The teen continued, “She (Sung) said I had been lying about something at the restaurant and I replied, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’
‘She then became aggressive towards me and I went back inside and told her family to come out and get her as she was becoming too aggressive.
“Cameron was still outside talking to the woman and was still trying to say that I had lied about what was said at the restaurant and that my mother was trying to get me into the car.
‘My mother was dragged by the back of her head by the woman who was talking to Cameron and she hit her as she lay on the ground.
‘I shouted at her to get off, but she hit my mother on the chest.
“She held her hair and ended up dragging her to the ground.
“I tried to stop her from doing this, but she kicked me in the stomach.”
The court heard she had been drinking gin and tonic and red wine on the night of the incident and was ‘six out of 10’ on the drunkenness scale
The Indian restaurant Blue Mango where the incident took place. The establishment has since received an improved hygiene rating
The waitress’ mother told the hearing: ‘As we came out the two people had a general conversation about the restaurant as it was suffering from its hygiene rating at the time.
‘But the conversation completely changed and the lady’s body language completely changed and she started taking off her jacket.
“I thought this was getting heated and her attitude was heated.
“Her body language at this point was directed at both my daughter and Cameron.
“I just said, ‘What’s going on?’ because I didn’t understand it, but the lady was very aggressive and started taking off her coat very sternly.
“I remember her saying to my daughter, ‘I’m not fucking afraid of you,’ and then she went to me, ‘I’m not bloody afraid of you either.’
“I said, ‘You don’t have to. I’m just her mom picking her up.” I could tell the lady’s personality was furious.”
She added, “I was just focused on where my daughter was and I put my body in front of her and tried to get her in the car.
‘But I was pulled to the ground and felt a blow. My first instinct was to cover my face.
‘I wear contact lenses and if they came out I wouldn’t be able to drive or see my daughter.
‘I was punched and kicked and I saw the lady’s shoes on the floor when she tried to get up.
‘I was absolutely petrified and terrified. I had never been in such a situation in my life.
‘The lady just shouted, made hand movements and pointed.
‘At the time I was on the phone to 999. It was absolutely hectic. My hand was streaming with blood.”
Bride-to-be Sung, who lives in the nearby £380,000 village of Ranhill, Merseyside, had known Mr Meah for 13 years.
Police called the restaurant to Sung and the rest of her party at a nearby pub.
She later claimed she had acted in self-defense, believing Grace or Cameron had a knife and were “prepared to use it.”
The court heard she had been drinking gin and tonic and red wine on the night of the incident and was ‘six out of 10’ on the drunkenness scale.
Interior of the Blue Mango restaurant. Sung said he had known the owner for 13 years
The restaurant (pictured) had received a one-star hygiene rating
She later claimed she had acted in self-defense, believing Grace or Cameron had a knife and were “prepared to use it.” ‘
On police bodycam footage, Sung could be heard telling the officer that she had had a conversation with Mr Meah about his affairs before the altercation and said she was offering “advice and support”.
In her defense, Sung denied the offer to buy half of the restaurant, saying, “The waitress came out of the restaurant and said to Cameron, “Why the fuck are you talking to her?”
‘I took off my jacket because it was hot and unfortunately for me this is the time of my life. I should have just let it go.
‘But there was talk of a knife and I was terrified.
‘I have a clinical background. I’ve seen stabbings. I have seen the terrible impact it causes on people. I was terrified, albeit in a protective way.”
Sung was found guilty of assaulting the mother causing her actual bodily harm and will be sentenced next month. She was acquitted of assaulting the waitress.
JP Thomas Rock said: “As a bank, we believe that your actions that evening were not in self-defense of yourself or anyone else. Your actions were not reasonable or proportionate.”
The restaurant has received a five-star food hygiene rating since the incident.