Model, 23, bit woman and pulled another girl’s hair after boozy day at races

A model bit a woman and pulled another girl’s hair after a day out at the races, a jury was told today.

The girl-on-girl fracas happened on a train carrying revellers home from Newbury racecourse where they had been dancing and drinking.

Today 23-year-old actress and dancer Eliza Peereboom sat in the dock accused of savagely biting a woman stranger above the knee so badly she has been left permanently scarred and needed three months of Tetanus injections.

Peereboom, who lives in London, became involved in a fracas on the station platform at Newbury, Berks., but physically beat other women who were in high spirits while travelling on the train to Reading, the court was told.

The actress, who denies pulling the hair of racegoers Ciara Jones  and Nicole Deadfield and causing actual bodily harm to Gabriella Marabet, watched as a jury was shown 23 minutes of CCTV train footage from August 18 last year when the incident happened.

Prosecutor Emily Lauchlan opened the case saying: “Everyone involved had been making their way home from Newbury racecourse. The defendant was with a friend.

“Ciara Jones and Nicole Deadfield were sat together waiting for the train when they accidentally bumped into the defendant who started shouting at ‘do not f***ing bump into me’,” said the prosecutor.

Ms Lauchlan said that the victim had told the defendant to leave the problem on the platform as they all made their way onto the train and the train ride was ultimately fine until the point when the train pulled into Reading station.

“As Ms Jones stood up she felt her hair pulled with enough force to pull her into a seat. As people tried to get the defendant off her, the other victim had her hair pulled and received an injury to her ankle,” the jury at Reading Crown Court was told.

“Counts one and two of the indictment are ultimately hair pulling and bruising to the ankle,” the prosecutor added.

Judge Sarah Campbell then invited witness Gabriella Marabet, who was the person bitten, to take the witness stand.

The jury heard that the 25-year-old victim now works at an estate agency but was studying business management and communications at university when the attack happened.

Giving evidence she said: “I had drunk around a bottle of Prosecco and three gin and tonics at the Newbury races with my family and friends but I was tired after a long day of dancing and chatting and slept on the train ride to Reading station where we were set to change for Oxford.

“I went to swerve around a commotion in the alley when my hair was violently pulled forwards from the chair. I kicked out and my leg was grabbed by the same girl who had my hair.

“I was bitten just above the knee which felt like for ages but it was about 15 seconds long. I screamed and was escorted off the train and she was kept on it.”

The jury of nine women and three men was shown body-worn camera police footage of Ms Marabet and her family and friends on the platform shouting and causing a commotion after the incident.

Ms Marabet said: “I was furious, I was shouting that I had been bitten but I did not feel that it was dealt with accordingly by police officers at the time.”

When asked by defence counsel Kate Parker whether this commotion was the act of a sober person, the victim defended her actions blaming her anger and emotion on being upset that police “treated her and her party as the culprit” despite telling them she was the victim.

Ms Lauchlan said: “Ultimately, Gabriella Marabet was put in handcuffs and so was her step-brother and her party was warned they might be arrested.” However, they were just detained until they calmed down.

The jury was shown pictures taken by Ms Marabet of her bite injury the day after the incident.

She said: “I had a bite mark and a sore head from where my hair was pulled. I went to the doctors and I had to receive a Tetanus jab once a month for three months and a course of antibiotics.

“I have a scar now. I have just got back from holiday and it looks worse now as the skin around it is darker.”

Eliza Peereboom is listed as an actress, model, dancer and choreographer from Brighton on online talent agency platform StarNow where she states she is an “out-going person who loves fashion, keeping fit and doing her makeup.”

The trial for Ms Peereboom of St. John’s Avenue, Harlesden, north London, continues.

She denies causing actual bodily harm.