Golf War: Banned club member poisoned green in revenge attack

A golfer who was banned from his local club took revenge by pouring weed killer over a course green and causing nearly £16,000 worth of damage.
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Glen Newton wore a balaclava and was spotted on CCTV pouring the chemical across the green on the third hole before being chased down by the owner and groundskeeper at Woolley Park Golf Club in Woolley.

Prosecutor Charlotte Noddings told Leeds Crown Court that Newton, a 55-year-old former miner, had "issues" with the owners that led to the termination of his membership in 2020.

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It was reported that he had clashed with the owners over his behaviour towards club staff and that no other members wished to play golf with him.

Newton ruined the green on the third hole.Newton ruined the green on the third hole.
Newton ruined the green on the third hole.

On the evening of April 19 this year, the groundskeeper spotted the masked man on the green over the club's CCTV, and he quickly jumped into his car to reach the golf course just a few hundred metres away.

Newton took off running and slipped into the path of the vehicle causing a collision.

The groundskeeper then got out and chased him on foot, catching up with him and managing to rip the balaclava from his head while filming him on his phone.

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Newton, of Netherfield Crescent, Netherton, was later arrested and made full admissions.

He has no previous convictions and admitted a charge of criminal damage.

However, he did dispute the repair costs presented by the golf club, which came to £15,837.

The judge, Recorder Daffyd Enoch QC, dismissed his claims.

Little mitigation was put to the court by his barrister Joanne Shepherd after Recorder Enoch described him as a "difficult member" who had simply "made a nuisance of himself and went too far".

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Recorder Enoch told Newton: "I do not know what possessed you to behave in that way.

"I'm sure there's two sides to every story, there almost always is.

"But the fact is you took the law into your own hands and in a completely planned and premeditated way, you decided you were going to seriously damage these people's green.

"You obtained the equipment and you disguised yourself. You caused great distress to the person who faced you.

"The result is that you did what you set out to do, which was to cause serious damage."

He handed him a three-month jail term, suspended for 12 months and ordered him to pay £10,000 compensation.