Guard of dishonour: Woman who urinated on a war memorial is late for court, abuses veterans who tried to shame her...then flees



A dozen ex-servicemen lined up outside a court yesterday to vent their anger at a woman caught urinating on a war memorial.

But if they thought they might see any contrition from 32-year-old Wendy Lewis, they were mistaken.

The scruffy single mother, hiding her face in a hooded jumper, arrived 40 minutes late and told the veterans to 'f*** off'.

Guard of dishonour: Wendy Lewis walks past a group of angry war veterans as she arrived at Blackpool Magistrates' Court on Friday

Protest: The veterans, pictured watching as Lewis enters court, want the 32-year-old to be jailed

Hours later, she fled the building before her case was even called and went on the run from police, who were granted a warrant for her arrest.

If found, she will spend the weekend in the cells and sentenced when Blackpool magistrates' court resumes on Monday morning.



At a previous hearing, Lewis admitted outraging public decency by urinating on the cenotaph at 5am. Police alerted by CCTV operators arrived to find her on a nearby bench, performing a sex act on a man.



Ian Coleman, 71, who has been president of the Blackpool Royal British Legion for 24 years and served with the Royal Army Medical Corps and the TA volunteer reserves, called on magistrates to make an example of Lewis and jail her.

'Disgusting': Lewis at her court appearance in Blackpool last Friday and, below, the veteran servicemen's 'guard of dishonour' that greeted her

'This woman is the most disgusting person in the country,' he said. 'The names on the cenotaph are those of people that have given us all our freedom. 'Anyone who commits such vile acts should automatically lose that freedom. She has defiled the name of our war dead. She should receive an automatic prison sentence.'

Lewis, who lives in the resort, has two children, is unemployed and believed to be living on benefits. She was arrested in June after the CCTV operators spotted her relieving herself next to poppy wreaths on the top step of the cenotaph near the North Pier, which is inscribed with the names of soldiers who gave their lives in the two World Wars.

At a previous hearing, magistrates were shown footage of the incident. Lewis, with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, could clearly be seen pulling down her jeans while cyclists and members of the public passed by.

Memorial: The Blackpool Cenotaph where Lewis was arrested in June

PC Jamie Robinson told the court: 'It was 5am when I and a colleague were sent to the war memorial. When I arrived I saw a male with scraggly hair and a female I recognised as Wendy Lewis.'

She admitted urinating on the cenotaph and initially denied committing the sex act, but later confessed and apologised.

Ashamed: Lewis fled from court shortly after she arrived and a warrant is expected to be issued for her arrest

David Charnley, defending, said: 'She had been drinking but now realises how much offence she has caused the public and what she has done.' Yesterday the group of ex- servicemen, some wearing their Army berets and campaign medals, slow hand-clapped and shouted ' disgusting' as Lewis arrived.

She ran from the building after speaking with probation officials for 20 minutes.

Derrick Wyeld, 87, who served from 1941 to 1946 on Lancaster bombers with the Australian RAF, said: 'She is clearly a cowardly person who can't face her accusers.

'Fifty-five per cent of RAF crew were killed in the war and thousands of them have no known grave. The cenotaph represents the gravestones of the people who were left behind. It is their memorial.'

D-Day veteran James Baker, 88, was one of only two men from his Army unit to survive the 1944 landings and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

'This woman is a disgrace to her sex,' he said. 'She insulted the good name of every soldier named on that memorial. They died for their country so people like this woman could live in freedom. It is unforgivable what she did in the face of these dead men. Some of them never saw 18.'

Major Jim Houldsworth, 68, who served with the Royal Artillery for 25 years, said: 'She has showed the same contempt for the veterans that she showed for the court. What she did is an insult to everybody named on that cenotaph and their family. We need to send out a message that this is totally unacceptable.'