A family from Newtown say they still live in fear after a family who run a camping business near Trefeglwys confronted them with an axe and a metal pole over payment for building work.

The Ozdemir family said that the “fear will never go away” after they were subjected to a racist slur during a “very aggressive” altercation with Gavin Thorlby-Coy, Billie-Jo Samantha Bradford and Thomas Joseph Billy James of Escape Camping, at around 2pm on April 21, 2019.

Welshpool Magistrates’ Court heard that 39-year-old Mr Thorlby-Coy, who served with the Welsh Guards, exited a vehicle at a property in Trefeglwys and confronted the Ozdemir family by waving an axe “aggressively”. His 46-year-old partner Ms Bradford also got out of the vehicle and grabbed a piece of wood, while Ms Bradford’s son 28-year-old Mr James had a metal pole.

Ceri Ellis-Jones, prosecuting, told the court that the defendants had been employed by the Ozdemir family to carry out work on a conservatory extension. The family were unhappy with the quality of work, which is being investigated by Trading Standards, and withheld a further £5,000 payment after previously paying £4,000 in advance. and set about finding another builder.

In an impact statement by the Ozdemir family, they said that their mother is still “very worried and too scared to go shopping on her own”. They added that their mother and brother are “paranoid even in daylight”, and that the incident has affected their everyday life fearing that they might visit their home.

“None of us will forget what happened that day. The fear will never go away,” they added.

Mr Thorlby-Coy, Ms Bradford and Mr James pleaded not guilty to affray and were found guilty by Welshpool Magistrates’ Court on November 19.

At a sentence hearing on Tuesday, December 1, the defendants were given a six-month restraining order not to contact directly or indirectly Mukremin Ozdemir, Sukru Ozdemir, Mustafa Ozdemir and Ismail Ozdemir, or be within 100 metres of their home, Baba Ali takeaway shop in Shortbridge Street, and Newtown and Llanidloes Kebab and Pizza House, Great Oak Street.

All three were not given a custodial sentence however Mr Thorlby-Coy was given a six-month sentence suspended for 12 months, and required to pay £478 including 10 rehabilitation days. Ms Bradford and Mr James were both given a 12-month community order, 80 hours of unpaid work, and fined £445.