A CHARD woman who allegedly hurled a racist and threatening rant towards a woman and other customers in a Portuguese restaurant after claiming she had been refused use of the toilet has appeared in court.

Natalie Ann Knight was inside Saraiva’s Restaurant in Chard town centre when she was alleged to have been verbally abusive towards a woman calling her a “f***ing slag and whore”.

She was then alleged to have said “I will f*** your family, I’m going to kill you one by one”

The defendant was then said to have turned her attentions to other customers inside the premises referring to them as “F***ing foreigners. You’re all Portuguese, I’m English, go back to your own country.”

Knight, 29, of Old Station Court, appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates, sitting at Yeovil.

She pleaded not guilty to a charge that on April 13 at Chard with intent to cause Joao Saraiva harassment, alarm or distress she used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour and the offence was racially aggravated.

She also denied a second similar alternative public order offence charged against her, but without the racially aggravated element.

Prosecutor Suzie Butler said that the alleged offence occurred when the defendant was inside the Portuguese-run café in Fore Street in Chard.

Defending solicitor Jeffrey Bannister said that his client claimed she had gone to the restaurant to use the toilet but was refused and responded by asking if it was because she was English.

She claimed she was called a “whore” by one of the other customers and then responded.

A review of the case was conducted and the case was adjourned until July 18 when Knight was ordered to return to the court to stand trial.

Until then she was released on conditional bail on the understanding she does not enter, approach or loiter outside Saraiva’s Restaurant in Chard.