Banned golf club member put on balaclava and poured weed killer over green in revenge attack which cost nearly £16,000

A golfer who was banned from his local club took revenge by pouring weed killer over a course green and caused nearly £16,000 worth of damage.

Glen Newton wore a balaclava and was spotted on CCTV pouring the fertiliser across the green on the third hole before being chased down by the owner and groundskeeper at Woolley Park Golf Club in Wakefield.

Leeds Crown Court heard how Newton, a 55-year-old former miner, had “issues” with the club owners that led to the termination of his membership in 2020.

Charlotte Noddings, prosecuting, said Newton had clashed with the owners over his behaviour towards club staff and that no other members wished to play golf with him.

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 tried to run off but 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.

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

Newton pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage. He has no previous convictions.

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

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

A ‘difficult member’

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”.

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.”

Newton was given three-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £10,000 compensation.

A version of this story was originally published on our sister title, the Yorkshire Evening Post

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