'I will shove that thing right up your a***': Shocking outburst by musician at disabled busker caught on camera

Guitarist Gary Millhouse seen bellowing at disabled singer in Bath,Somerset

He apologised for his vulgar rant but says he was frustrated



The head of a busking organisation has slammed Mr Millhouse's behaviour

A street musician was caught on camera physically threatening and swearing at a rival busker with a disability.

Classical guitarist Gary Millhouse, who has busked in Bath, Somerset, for 17 years, has apologised for his comments and said the foul-mouthed rant was made ‘in the heat of the moment’, and after he had asked the busker to move four times.



The two-minute long Youtube clip shows Mr Millhouse shouting at the busker to turn the sound down, before threatening hier

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Victim: The singer before she was subjected to a foul-mouthed rant from a rival busker in the city of Bath

Tirade: Gary Millhouse has apologised for his comments and said started abusing the singer 'in the heat of the moment'

He says: 'It’s f****** loud, you turn it down or I’m going to shove that thing right up your a***.



'You’ve been spoiling my performance screaming down that poxy thing. Shut up and listen to me, I’ve had enough of you. Don’t busk here. You do that again, I’m going to f*** you over.'

He added: 'Shut your f****** mouth. I mean it. If you sing again I’m going to ram that thing down your throat.'

The younger woman, who is undergoing gender reassignment, appeared visibly upset at the tirade.



However, Mr Millhouse said the busker - described as disabled by the person who posted the video - often plays in places in Bath where busking is officially banned, and her loud singing, which is amplified, drowns out other performers.



At this particular time Mr Millhouse, who plays the Spanish guitar, was entertaining people outside of the Abbey, and became frustrated when the noise of the other busker drowned him out.



He said: 'I would like to apologise for my comments, which were made in the heat of the moment.



'Myself, and other buskers, had asked the man to move more than four times, as he was in an area that buskers are not allowed to play in.



'He took no notice of us, and just carried on singing loudly, drowning out all the buskers who are on licensed pitches trying to earn a living.'

Among the invective was the comment: 'You've been spoiling my performance screaming down that poxy thing. Shut up and listen to me. 'You do that again, I'm going to f*** you over'

Mr Millhouse said that the buskers met every morning outside Bath Abbey to decide who will play where, and for how long.



He has invited the busker to join them, and take her turn playing in a licensed spot.



Mr Millhouse said: 'We all meet and take it in turns to play in the pitches across the city.



'The busker just plays wherever he wants, even places where we are not allowed to busk. We are all trying to earn a living, and he is threatening that.



'He would be more than welcome to come and meet with us at 10am every morning to take his turn in one of the spaces.'



Another busker,John Shepherd, said this incident was completely out of character for Mr Millhouse.



Shock: The busker, believed to be disabled, appears to be upset after the shocking encounter

He said: 'Gary is one of the good guys, and has worked really hard, often unpaid, to ensure a good relationship between buskers, shopkeepers and the council.

'This is completely out of character for him.



'We have a really good relationship with the council, only playing where we are allowed, and we don’t want to jeopardise this.



'We work hard to create a nice environment with good levels of noise, and this busker plays wherever he wants, leaving other buskers unable to be heard.'



However, Jonny Walker – founding director of the Association of Street Artists and Performers – spoke out against the actions of the older busker yesterday.



Mr Walker’s ASAP organisation tries to build positive relationships between local authorities and performers.

'Bath, a beautiful city, is in danger of becoming a protection racket where a small group of buskers dominate public space and try to push other people out.' - Campaigner Jonny Walker

He said: 'Gary Millhouse is said to have apologised for his actions but his words seem like an attempt to justify his behaviour by accusing the other busker of playing on an unlicensed pitch and being "too loud".



'This is a total non-apology in my view and is an example of what happens when a group of buskers try to cosy up to a local authority and gang up on other performers.



'Bath, a beautiful city, is in danger of becoming a protection racket where a small group of buskers dominate public space and try to push other people out.

'Gary, you need to give this person a genuine apology and learn to share space, and not attempt to justify your bullying behaviour.'

The incident is close to Mr Walker's heart as he is also a patron of Musical Keys, a charity that provides musical therapy for children with learning difficulties.

'It has taken him (the singer) an enormous amount of courage to be out busking in the first place.



'Public space belongs to everybody and he shouldn't come under threat from other buskers .'

Richard Perkins, who owns the Bath Guitar School, said he had been on the end of Mr Millhouse’s temper in the past.

'I had an altercation with Gary in 2011, when my students were playing at the Christmas Market,' he told the Bath Chronicle .

'During the Christmas Market, Abbey Churchyard is no longer a public place, and we had applied to Bath Tourism to play there.

'Gary came up to us shouting that we were not allowed to be there and were stopping him earning a living.'



The video has quickly gone viral on Twitter, with local people voicing their outrage about Mr Millhouse’s behaviour.

