Eating champ fined for beating girlfriend

A champion eater attacked his ex-girlfriend after a reunion romp when she confronted him over a text from another lover, a court heard.

Robert Pinto, 46, holds the record for scoffing the ‘largest commercially available English breakfast in the world’ in just eight minutes.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard he met up with Michelle Lambell for a romantic dinner in London on February 2 this year.

Following the ‘indulgent’ meal, the pair went back to Pinto’s room at the Great Northern Hotel in Kings Cross.

As they relaxed in bed, Pinto received a text from a woman called ‘Rosie’ and Ms Lambell grabbed the phone.

In response Pinto, the country’s top Volvo salesman slapped his terrified ex, pushing her into the corridor and beating her until a member of hotel staff intervened.

Jennifer Garland, prosecuting, said: ‘They were former partners and that evening they had gone out, they had dinner and a few drinks.

‘They went back to his hotel and had consensual sex.

‘Whilst they were still lying in bed, his phone went off and Ms Lambell said, ‘Who’s that?’

‘She could see the phone said it was from someone called Rosie.

‘She walked towards the door and started to get dressed and went to leave the room. She had hold of the phone, which he tried to grab out of her hands.

‘He was already angry and she was screaming. He hit her with an open palm across her cheek and that caused her to be pushed back.

‘He came at her as she was trying to get away. He then hit her again around three times, it caused her to fall back into the corner of the corridor.’

Ms Lambell told officers: ‘I was really scared at this point, I thought he was going to continue hitting me.

‘He hit me with force and I lost my balance.’

She told how they spilled out onto the hotel landing as she screamed: ‘Help me, help me!’

‘A member of staff came to her aide and the police later attended,’ the prosecutor added.

‘She describes previous incidents of abuse and controlling behaviour.’

Ms Lambell said in a victim impact statement read to the court: ‘The incident at the time caused me fear – I was terrified. He is very volatile, he can go from charming to very threatening.

‘I am now worried he will seek revenge, he has implied before that he knows people. I live at home with my daughter and I am in fear of repercussion.’

The court was told Pinto was convicted of supplying cocaine in 2010 but has since turned his life around, choosing to deal in luxury Swedish vehicles instead.

Joseph McKenna, defending, said: ‘He was decorated as the most successful salesman for Volvo for 2018 for the entire country.

‘He is a hard working individual.’

He said Pinto made up 62% of all car sales at his local dealership in Stamford, Lincolnshire, last year.

But Pinto currently acts as a live-in carer for his mother who has terminal cancer and became worried that he would not be able to contact her.

Judge Richard Blake said: ‘I am sorry to hear your client’s mother has terminal cancer, I am afraid it is something we all live with at some point.

‘However, your client is an adult not a teenager. The real reason for this is alcohol.’

‘This is a one off,’ said the barrister. ‘This is an isolated incident that was out of character for him.’

The judge asked: ‘What does he earn a week?’

‘It would be about £1,000 a week including commission,’ replied Mr McKenna.

Turning to Pinto, judge Blake said: ‘You went for an indulgent evening with your former partner and that culminated in violence.

‘This was an unpleasant incident, there were moments of sustained violence towards this lady.

‘Domestic violence, violence with partners, is particularly serious because people when they are in a relationship should feel safe.’

The judge ordered Pinto pay a £1,000 fine and handed him a three-year restraining order, banning him from contact with the victim. Pinto was also handed a one year community order, 20 days of rehabilitation and costs totalling £170.

In 2012 Pinto hit the headlines for scoffing a gut-busting 6,000 calorie breakfast in 26 minutes at the Jesters Diner in Great Yarmouth.

The surprisingly svelt salesman managed to get through 12 rashers of bacon, 12 sausages, six eggs, four slices of black pudding, four slices of bread and butter, four pieces of toast, another four slices of fried bread, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, sauté potatoes and an eight egg omelette – the equivalent of 12 Big Macs.

He told reporters: ‘I do have a system, I try to use the bread to make little sandwiches filled with the other ingredients and that helps it go down better.’

Pinto holds the Guinness World Record for demolishing another big breakfast at Mario’s Cafe, in Bolton, in just eight minutes and 46 seconds in November 2011.

Pinto, of Star Lane, Stamford, Lincolnshire, admitted one count of assault by beating.
ends