ONE of The Real Housewives of Jersey – who previously praised the Island for its low crime levels – has been convicted of spitting in the face of a customer in a coffee shop.
Appearing in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Jane Mary Rayner pleaded guilty to assault and was fined £1,500.
St Helier Centenier Paul Huelin, prosecuting, said the victim was working on his laptop inside Cooper & Co café in Castle Quay on 13 June when the 59-year-old reality TV star walked past the window and spotted him.
He said: ‘She put up her middle finger. Then she entered the coffee shop and gave him verbal abuse. She deliberately spat in his face. It landed on his face and glasses.’
Rayner starred in the first series of The Real Housewives of Jersey, which premièred on ITVBe in December 2020.
The series, part of the global Housewives franchise, followed the lives of several high-profile Island businesswoman, including Margaret Thompson, the chief executive of Thompson estates, and brand strategist and media commentator Tessa Hartmann.
In an interview before the series was first broadcast, Rayner was asked what she liked most about Jersey and said: ‘There is hardly any crime and the people here are very friendly.’
Advocate Paul Nicholls, defending, said there was ill-feeling between Rayner and the man.
He explained: ‘She has said previously that he intimidated [her].’
He added: ‘She is profoundly sorry and embarrassed by her action. It was an incident out of character.’
Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu agreed with the advocate’s request to deal with the offence with a fine.
He told Rayner: ‘Even if you and the victim are in some disagreement, it does not justify you going into a shop and spitting.’
