Racist couple filmed shouting abuse at nurse in park with mum admit abuse

A husband and wife have admitted racial assault after a video of them abusing an NHS worker in a park went viral.

Fyona Bairstow, 72, and Michael Bairstow, 77, abused Apple Moorhouse in Manor Heath Park, Halifax, in August.

Apple was walking with her mother when the couple approached her.

Video footage showed Fyona telling Apple, ‘You can’t even speak English,’ while her partner mimicked the actions of rowing a boat.

‘Have you come off a rubber boat? Did you come across the channel? Ban the immigrants,’ Michael said, according to the clip.

Apple replied: ‘But I look after you. I’m in healthcare.’

The couple, from Shelf in Halifax, today pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault.

Michael also admitted to assaulting another woman who tried to intervene.

Bradford Magistrates’ Court heard that the incident began when the Bairstows’ dog went up to a child on August 28.

Apple intervened and, when the couple approached her, she suggested the dog be on a lead.

Michael told his dog to ‘get her, kill’ and lobbed a bottle of water at Apple, prosector Richard Davies said.

Apple said in a statement: ‘When I tried to walk away, the female pulled me back by my ponytail, causing my head to go backwards.

‘They were very racist towards me – they seemed to want to make everything a conversation about immigrants – and calling me a slave.’

When a woman tried to intervene, Michael told her to get away from Apple and punched her in the face.

He said: ‘Sticking up for immigrants, who do you think you are?’

Apple, who moved to the UK from the Philippines 15 years ago, said she hasn’t gone back to work and has been left feeling scared and anxious.

‘I feel anxious, obviously, every time that I think back, I feel upset,’ she said following the hearing.

‘It’s a big thing, racism, and it needs to be dealt with.’

Apple added: ‘At their age, they should know better, but obviously they didn’t,’ she said.

The case was adjourned until April for a pre-sentence report.

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