'I'm traumatised after my Airbnb host threw me out and said I was a sex worker'
An Airbnb hostess from hell has been ordered to pay £500 damages to one of her guests after she violently threw her out of her holiday let in the mistaken belief she was a sex worker.
Lyndsey McCabe, 46, slapped Jane Dillon, damaged her suitcase and even smashed up her car windscreen after wrongly convincing herself the actress and model who had just booked in for the night would sell sexual services from the rented room.
During the assault, McCabe, a therapist, smacked Miss Dillon about the hands and arms and then kicked her in the legs before causing the suitcase to tumble down a flight of stairs and burst open.
She told the victim: "Get out of my house. Get hold of your stuff and get it all out of my house. I know what you are, you are a sex worker."
When Miss Dillon ran to her Nissan Juke car for safety, McCabe smashed the windscreen with a rock before facing up to her in a "fighting stance."
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Police called to the scene subsequently arrested McCabe, who is a practitioner in holistic therapies including Reflexology, Aromatherapy and Massages at her property in the village of Dodleston near Chester.
The incident occurred at 9pm on January 28 this year (AFP via Getty Images)Miss Dillon who runs a party planning business suffered minor physical injuries in the incident including visible reddening and a scratch to her hand. She told police she found the "whole incident traumatising".
At Chester magistrates court, McCabe admitted assault and criminal damage and was also ordered to complete a 12 month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work.
She was ordered to £335 compensation to Miss Dillon for the damage caused and a further £165 for "psychological and physical distress."
The incident occurred at 9pm on January 28 this year after Miss Dillon had booked McCabe's spare bedroom for the night after seeing it advertised on the online vacation rental platform
Alan Currums, prosecuting, said: "The complainant says when she initially arrived at the address she had no issues with the defendant. The defendant showed her the room and they also had a chat in the kitchen area.
"The complainant asked about the lack of Wi-Fi and there was a conversation as to whether Airbnb would consider a refund in relation to the issue with the Wi-Fi. The defendant then asked what she did for a living, she said she had a party business, and acting and modelling.
"She believes the defendant may have misinterpreted her, thinking that she was maybe a sex worker. Following this, the complainant took a glass and went up to the room where she was watching videos on the internet.
"She asked the defendant for a heater for the room, and the defendant replied 'You can borrow my heater" and a short time later the heater was delivered and the defendant left again.
"But Miss Dillon then started to hear the slamming of the front door, She did not think anything of it initially however, the defendant came into her room asking what she was doing there. The complainant said, 'What?' but the defendant repeated herself and shouted aggressively.
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"The defendant slapped the complainant's hands about three times while the complainant was holding her phone in her hand. The defendant started shouting, 'Get out of my house. Get hold of your stuff and get it all out of my house. I know what you are, you are a sex worker.'
"The complainant picked up her suitcase and phoned 999 and asked police to attend. The defendant was slapping her numerous times on the arms and kicking her to the legs. The complainant is not sure what happened to the suitcase, but it ended up at the bottom of the staircase. She started picking up her belongings.
"The defendant was shouting at the complainant, accusing her of being a sex worker, and said 'You do not know who you are dealing with.'
"The complainant continued trying to pack her belongings and was trying to leave but the defendant kept coming back to the room and prevented her.
McCabe admitted assault and criminal damage (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)"At that point the complainant had to push back in self-defence and said 'I do not want to fight you. I do not want to hurt you.'
"The defendant tried to grab the complainant's hair and grabbed her jumper. However, the complainant slipped out of the jumper and she was able to get outside of the front of the address. The defendant followed her and as the complainant got to the car, the defendant picked up a large stone and threw it causing the windscreen to shatter.
"Miss Dillon decided to get out of the car but the defendant approached her in a "fighting stance". Police arrived and the defendant was arrested."
Mr Currums added: "The entire incident lasted about 15 minutes. The complainant did not know the defendant. She only met her through booking on Airbnb. She said she had used Airbnb at home and abroad, but had never experienced this before. She said it left her questioning her judgement and asking herself how something like this could happen.
"She said she had experienced flashbacks, the door being slammed, footsteps at the door getting progressively louder and the defendant rushing into the room and assaulting her.
"She said she took two weeks away from work due to the stress and the trauma of it. She is self-employed and runs a party business.
She has lost potential earnings due to the time off work.
"The Crown is asking for compensation, not just for the injuries, which we do accept are minor, but also for the ongoing stress."
McCabe had previous convictions for assault from 2016, and for a racially aggravated public order matter from 2018. Her lawyer Selina Woodward said: "I would suggest that the complainant has suffered no more than minor physical harm.
"The defendant is a self-employed therapist. She's taken steps to attend regular counselling. She realised she needs to address past trauma. She realised that it was not acceptable behaviour. She has caring responsibilities for a friend who has a brain injury and she has taken steps to address the offending behaviour. She no longer advertises the property on Airbnb."
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