PUMP ATTENDANT CHARGED AFTER FIERY ATTACK
Detectives assigned to the Westmoreland Policing Division have charged 30-year-old pump attendant Collate Swaby of Old Road, Whithorn, Westmoreland, with Assault Occasioning Bodily Harm (Aggravated Assault) following an incident that was captured in a viral video on Thursday, February 19.
Reports from the Whithorn Police indicate that at about midday, a woman went to the service station where Swaby is employed, and a confrontation ensued. It is alleged that the dispute escalated, during which Swaby doused the woman with a flammable substance and set her on fire.
The woman was assisted by bystanders, who extinguished the flames and transported her to hospital, where she remains undergoing treatment.
Swaby was subsequently arrested and taken into custody. She was formally charged on Monday, February 23, following a question-and-answer session.
A court date is currently being finalised.
