Woman who threw milkshake over Nigel Farage admits assault

A woman has admitted to attacking by throwing a milkshake at Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, outside a pub in Clacton-on-Sea while the general election campaign was underway.

Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, also acknowledged that she caused criminal damage by ruining a jacket owned by Farage's security officer, James Woolfenden, resulting in a loss of £17.50.

Farage, currently serving as Clacton's Member of Parliament, was splashed with liquid as he exited the Moon and Starfish Wetherspoon's pub in the seaside town of Essex on June 4th.

Earlier, he spoke to his supporters at a campaign rally and ended up with yellow liquid stained on his dark blue suit.

Thomas Bowen initially rejected the accusations and was scheduled to face trial at Westminster magistrates court on Monday. However, before the proceedings started, he opted to change his plea to guilty.

Tan Ikram, the deputy senior district judge, postponed the sentencing to December 16 and informed the defendant, "You have admitted guilt to what I believe are two serious offenses."

"This was a deliberate and unjustified attack against a sitting member of parliament. I view these offenses very seriously. I am requesting a pre-sentence report to evaluate all sentencing possibilities."

In a statement presented in court, Farage mentioned that he wasn't hurt but felt troubled by the situation, explaining that he was simply doing his job. He also stated that he aimed to engage with the public as much as possible.

"I'm disappointed that this took place during a public campaign," he continued.

Thomas Bowen was taken into custody soon after the event and informed the police during questioning that she had come across a social media post announcing Farage's appearance that day, as revealed in court. She expressed to the officers that she did not "support his political beliefs."

She mentioned that she was standing outside the pub when she spotted Farage leaving, and she chose to take action because she saw it as a chance to do so.

During the proceedings, prosecutor Nishma Shah shared insights from Thomas Bowen's police interview, explaining to the court: "She admits that what she did was an assault and that the liquid would have spilled on the jackets of him and others, necessitating cleaning. However, she argues that Nigel can easily cover the cleaning costs. She also mentioned that she does not feel sorry for her actions."

Thomas Bowen informed the police that she didn't mean for the cup to strike Farage.