A City worker launched an “aggressive” tirade at a fellow commuter when she opened her breakfast of boiled eggs on a train to London, a court heard.

Samantha Mead, 50, is said to have flown into a rage at Erika Stoter on a 6am Greater Anglia service from Chelmsford to Liverpool Street.

Ms Stoter told a jury at Blackfriars crown court that Mead became agitated and put on a “bad face” when she started eating the eggs, which she admitted gave off a strong smell.

The victim told the court she felt “intimidated and vulnerable” during the incident, which took place shortly after the train stopped at Stratford on September 6, 2018. She told the jury Mead gave her “bad” looks when she started eating the eggs and moved towards the door, apparently to escape the smell. Ms Stoter said she gestured with a shrug of her shoulders to Mead that she was sorry, but the defendant “quickly and aggressively” moved towards her and leaned into her face.

Ms Stoter, who is originally from South America, told the court: “The woman asked me if I spoke English and I said no because I was scared and confused. I thought she would stop ...she said, ‘You are disgusting’.”

She claimed Mead threatened her, saying: “You don’t know who I am, be careful. Do you want to go outside?” Ms Stoter told the court that she said to the defendant: “Don’t you think you are quite old to be doing these kind of things?”

The court heard that the commuter service was busy but not packed. The victim said a fellow commuter had complained about her food previously and she had closed her Tupperware box to stop the smell. Asked why she was eating her eggs in a public place so early in the morning, she told the jury: “I have to eat at that time because of my diet.”

She reported the incident to police after getting off the train at Liverpool Street but Mead had already left the station. Mead was picked up by police and questioned on September 10 after Ms Stoter called them when she saw her on the train again. The jury heard the pair had not known each other before the incident but had regularly been on the same train.

Mead told the court she had been taking tablets for a medical condition and the smell of the eggs made her nauseous. She insisted she had called the food “disgusting” rather than aiming the comment at Ms Stoter, and claimed her explanation about her health had fallen on deaf ears. She denied losing her temper, but said she was “having my own private hell”.

Mead, from Manningtree in Essex, was found guilty of one charge of intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress and on Friday was fined £750 and ordered to pay £750 in compensation. She was cleared of a racially aggravated public order offence.

Listen to today's episode of The Leader here: