- Courtney Richman lashed out at Myra Coutinho-Lopez while standing in a queue
A bank customer who pushed over a frail pensioner with Alzheimer’s after suffering a ‘catastrophic loss of temper’ while waiting in a queue was convicted of manslaughter on Thursday.
A ‘red mist’ descended on Courtney Richman, 26, as she waited in line at the Lloyds Bank branch when Myra Coutinho-Lopez, 82, became ‘confused’ about funds in her account.
Mrs Coutinho-Lopez had forgotten she had withdrawn money three days earlier and caused a long queue to develop as she had an 15-minute argument with a cashier who was ‘very familiar’ with the elderly woman who came to the bank regularly and often forgot she had made withdrawals.
Richman grew angry and agitated and shouted: ‘Hurry up, people don’t have all day’.
Another customer, who had been using a cash machine inside the bank, offered to help Mrs Coutinho-Lopez. As she walked her away, Richman said: ‘Oh thank God’ and applauded – prompting Mrs Coutinho-Lopez to say: ‘Don’t speak to me like that, you are very rude. I bet your boyfriend has left you.’
She then swung her handbag at the defendant, who responded by pushing her to the floor, leaving her with multiple injuries.
Mother-of-four Mrs Coutinho-Lopez, who raised her family single-handedly after being widowed at 39 and earned a living with a secretarial job in the Houses of Parliament before buying and selling property and opening a jewellery boutique, died in hospital ten days later.
Fractures to her left upper arm and thigh released fatty substances into her body that caused damage to her lungs and brain, Luton Crown Court was told.
Richman denied manslaughter but was convicted unanimously by a jury after just three hours of deliberation following a trial that began last week.
Mrs Coutinho-Lopez’s family said in a statement: ‘Myra’s life was taken away from her on December 16, 2021, and has left behind a tremendous void to all who knew her including her beloved children, extended family and lifelong friends worldwide.’
Richman lashed out at the bank in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, when the victim forgot she had withdrawn money three days earlier.
A long queue developed during a 15-minute argument with the cashier, with the handbag swinging incident – which caught Richman on the back – and the fatal shove caught on CCTV that was played to the jury.
Prosecutor Martin Mulgrew said: ‘The defendant reacted in a wholly inappropriate and unreasonably violent manner.
‘She angrily pushed Mrs Coutinho-Lopez forcefully to the floor of the bank. She struck the floor with some force. The red mist descended on this defendant.’
Mr Mulgrew said Mrs Coutinho-Lopez, who also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, often forgot when she had been into the bank.
‘Mrs Coutinho-Lopez became worried and asked the cashier to show her the balance,’ he said.
‘She was told she had withdrawn money the previous Friday. She became more confused and said she hadn’t.’
Another member of staff came over to try to reassure her but she said: ‘I want to speak to the manager. I am worried.’
Cashier Susan Hanover described how Richman moaned: ‘Look, there is nothing she can do – just move away from the counter.’
There was ‘gasps’ from the other customers when Mrs Coutinho-Lopez ended up on the floor, she added.
Richman, a mother-of-two from Welwyn Garden City, claimed she acted instinctively when she was ‘whacked’ with the handbag.
She returned to the bank the following day to carry out the transaction she had been unable to complete but was escorted into a small room by a plain-clothed police officer.
Asked in court about the death of Mrs Coutinho-Lopez she added: ‘I feel terrible, I think about it every day since it has happened.’
She agreed with Mr Mulgrew that she would have taken as long as she needed if she thought her own money had gone missing from her bank account but insisted it ‘wasn’t obvious’ to her that her victim had cognitive difficulties.
The defendant also claimed she thought she was being ‘funny’ rather than sarcastic by applauding and denied telling Mrs Coutinho-Lopez to: ‘F… off.’
She is due to return to the court for sentencing in April after probation reports have been prepared.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
