Old Man and the Sea staff members allegedly punched in face by drunk woman, staff left shaken and bruised

Geraldton police are investigating an alleged incident involving a woman punching two female staff members in the face at Geraldton’s Old Man and the Sea rooftop bar on Saturday night. According to Old Man and the Sea licensee Grant Pitman, the two female managers assaulted at the popular rooftop bar were punched in the face at 8.55pm on March 14, after the woman was allegedly refused service based on her intoxicated behaviour. Before being refused service, he said the woman’s drunken escapades got her multiple complaints from other patrons. She allegedly turned argumentative and aggressive when told she could not purchase any more alcohol by the bar staff. Mr Pitman said the two staff members were shocked by the woman’s behaviour. He said one of the staff members, an experienced manager, was incredibly shaken by the interaction, while the other had a visible bruise from the assault. Police were called to the scene and given access to the CCTV footage. Mr Pitman said aggressive and abusive behaviour was “totally unacceptable”. “People come to the rooftop bar to enjoy the atmosphere, have a good time and to feel safe. What that woman did on Saturday completely ruined that for everyone,” he said. “If you can’t drink responsibly, or you become aggressive and lash out when you’ve had a few drinks, do not come here. Or go out anywhere. You shouldn’t be drinking if you behave like that.” In a Facebook post to the Geraldton Noticeboard, Mr Pitman said he wanted to make clear no violence would be accepted at The Gerald Apartment Hotel or any of its bars. He said the woman claimed she was assaulted first, however the CCTV footage “showed otherwise”. Mr Pitman also expressed disappointment with the people accompanying the woman, who he claimed were locals, for not acting responsibly and removing the woman from the situation. “The moral of this story is that if you can’t drink responsibly or you lash when you have had a few drinks . . . don’t come to Old Man and the Sea or Bob’s or the hotel . . . we don’t want you there,” he said. “On the other hand, if you do drink responsibly, we welcome you, with open arms, anytime.” A Geraldton police spokesperson said the investigation remained ongoing. “At this stage the investigation in ongoing, the victims received minor injuries and the Mid West Gascoyne Liquor Enforcement Unit are reviewing the matter,” they said.