Patrons were enjoying a normal night out at Perth’s restaurant “Brika” last Saturday night, when all of a sudden a bizarre pepper spray attack threatened to turn their dinner into a mini nightmare.
According to police, the 39-year-old woman accused of the attack, Evelyn Mogridge, walked through the alfresco area of the Greek restaurant, situated on Stirling Street in Northbridge, around 9.30pm and started spraying targeting people indiscriminately.
Among the 80 or so diners who witnessed the alleged attack, was Liberal MP Dean Nalder with his wife.
“The first we became aware of something was when my wife and another lady started to cough,” Mr Nalder told Seven News.
“I had a little sneezing fit and that progressed into a cough. Then we realised other people were coughing. It was all a bit bizarre,” he said adding that they though it was a bad farce before realising this wasn’t the case.
Police officers arrived at the scene shortly after, while a woman who suffered a severe reaction by the toxic fumes was transferred to the hospital and discharged after a medical assessment.
The 39-year-old alleged attacker was arrested in Northbridge a few hours after running away from the restaurant, following the incident, and police claim that a can of capsicum spray was also found nearby.
Ms Mogridge, who faces charges for possessing a controlled weapon and causing poison to be administered, appeared in Perth’s Magistrate Court on Saturday representing herself and defended her release on bail claiming she had “elders to answer to.”
But the court heard that Ms Mogridge could not be granted bail, due to facing pending serious assault changes.
The accused reacted when the magistrate asked whether a mental health assessment would be needed before her reappearance at court, saying: “I don’t have no mental health. I think all the mental c… are out there on the street.”
Ms Mogridge further called the magistrate “not a very wise woman” with “no authority to speak”, as she was being escorted outside the court by security forces.
The motives behind the alleged attack remain unknown.