Sisters Lorna Carmichael and Ann Gillespie attacked a retired police officer and his wife at a Jersey Boys show

Two sisters were convicted of attacking a retired police officer and his wife at a Jersey Boys theater performance.

Lorna Carmichael, 43, first attacked the man on April 19, 2022 at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow.

The nurse hit and scratched him near the lobby as they both left the building with their families.

Meanwhile, 52-year-old nursing home worker Ann Gillespie grabbed his wife by the body, causing her to almost fall down the stairs

The matter arose after the man complained to the sisters about their noise and their “theatre etiquette.”

The witness told Glasgow Sheriff Court that one of the siblings told him they were “having a lot of fun,” to which he replied: “You’re just drunk.”

He claimed that a woman then attacked him, causing him to fall down the stairs.

The witness stated that the woman’s body was lying on his legs, pushing him down.

He said: “I just wanted to try to pull back instead of pushing her away.

“At this point she was still holding me and I felt some blows and scratches on my head.

“I felt her trying to dig her nails into my eye socket – I spent the time trying to keep her hand away from me.”

Prosecutor Gail Campbell asked the witness how he felt at the time.

He replied: “Shocked that something like that happened on a Tuesday night or at all in the theater. I was pretty shocked.”

“Perhaps I can cope with this better than some others because of my previous job.”

The man stated that the incident was resolved by employees and that the police were also on site.

The woman, meanwhile, claimed that Gillespie waved to her from the bottom of the stairs at the exit: “Come on.”

The witness stated that she was holding on to a railing and sitting down when she realized she was on a staircase with Gillespie walking toward her.

She said: “It was almost like she was pulling on me – she was pulling on my T-shirt, she was pulling on my necklace.

“I had fingernail marks on my chest and some blood on my mouth.”

The woman told the court the incident lasted “seconds.”

Ms Campbell asked the woman how she felt about the incident.

She replied, “Terrible. I think I’ve been to the theater once since then. I’m too scared to go back.”

In her statement to the court, Carmichael and Gillespie’s mother stated that the trio went out for her birthday.

The 72-year-old claimed that the man called the trio “sluts,” which he had previously denied.

The pensioner further explained that the man was the attacker who targeted Carmichael, in front of whom she was standing.

She said: “I was maybe two or three steps up. He pushed me and I fell down the stairs.”

The witness claimed that she suffered an arm injury and received injections for the pain.

Sheriff David Taylor found Carmichael, of Germiston, guilty of assaulting the man, while Gillespie, of Garthamlock, was convicted of assaulting his wife.

The sheriff said the witnesses were “credible and reliable.”

Neale McShane, Carmichael’s defence lawyer, told the court: “It appears that she reacted aggressively to someone and given her age and profession, that is clearly not her character.”

“She must report the case to the Midwifery Council and may be investigated to determine whether she is fit for the profession.”

Atlanta Jack, Gillespie’s defense attorney, also said the case was not a good fit for her client, who has been working in her field for 18 years.

The sheriff fined Gillespie £210 and adjourned sentencing until next month pending background reports on Carmichael.

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