Victoria Thomas-Bowen, a 25-year-old OnlyFans model, was found guilty of throwing a milkshake at Nigel Farage during a General Election event in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in June. Leaving Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Thomas-Bowen told reporters that she refused to apologise for her actions.
In a police interview, Thomas-Bowen acknowledged her involvement in the incident and stated she does not regret throwing the banana-flavoured drink at the Reform leader. Initially, she had denied the charge of assault by beating but later changed her plea to guilty for both the assault on Farage and for criminal damage to a bystander’s jacket.
Farage expressed his frustration on social media, stating that the case had “wasted a huge amount of money” in public resources. In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), he criticised Thomas-Bowen for prolonging the case, saying, “Just think of the vast amount of public money and time that’s been wasted… she could have pleaded guilty at any point.”
The prosecution, represented by Nishma Shah, detailed how Thomas-Bowen had seen online posts about Farage’s appearance in Clacton-on-Sea and disagreed with his political views. Shah explained that Thomas-Bowen purchased a McDonald’s banana milkshake to throw but did not initially decide until she saw the opportunity outside the Moon and Starfish pub.
Shah noted that while Thomas-Bowen acknowledged the milkshake would stain Farage’s suit, she claimed he could afford to have it cleaned. Farage testified that he was not injured during the incident but was concerned when the drink hit him in the face.
Thomas-Bowen’s defence attorney, Andrew Price, mentioned that the case had garnered significant attention, which affected his client. He indicated that she had faced threats and wanted to escape the incident.
The court heard that Thomas-Bowen was arrested shortly after the incident, as members of the public and the press followed her. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram stated that the probation service would prepare a pre-sentence report, emphasising that the eventual sentence would focus on deterrence and punishment.
Thomas-Bowen was granted unconditional bail until her sentencing, scheduled for December 16. Judge Ikram remarked, “You’ve pleaded guilty to, in my view, two serious charges. This was an unprovoked attack on a man who is now a member of Parliament.”
