A troubling family dispute escalated into violence when musician and artist Robert Hunt, professionally known as Rider Shafique, allegedly assaulted his brother’s partner during an argument over toilet paper usage. Hunt has denied the accusation of racially-aggravated assault at Gloucester Crown Court.
The court heard that Hunt, 48, shared a rented home on Hatherley Road, Gloucester, with his brother Joshua Mills and Joshua’s partner Holly Davis for close to two years. Tensions reportedly grew over time, worsened by Hunt’s increasingly hostile remarks towards Holly, including racially offensive language.
According to testimony, the argument reached a boiling point on December 29, 2023. After returning from an evening out, Joshua criticized the amount of toilet roll Hunt had used—comments Hunt overheard, sparking an aggressive confrontation. Prosecutor Katherine Lane described how Hunt armed himself with a claw hammer, aggressively confronted his brother, and then attacked Holly.
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Holly Davis testified that Hunt grabbed her by the throat, pushed her backward causing her to fall in the bathroom, and hurled racial insults, calling her a “dutty white girl.” The assault reportedly continued, with Hunt throwing toilet rolls at Joshua and verbally abusing Holly again.
In response, Joshua intervened and inflicted seven knife wounds on Hunt during the scuffle. While police investigated Joshua’s actions, no charges were brought against him. The trial focuses solely on the allegations against Hunt.
The prosecution argues that the assault was racially motivated, citing Hunt’s use of derogatory racial language immediately following the attack. Hunt denies all charges, including the claim of racial abuse, asserting instead that Holly had made racist remarks toward him.
The jury has been cautioned to concentrate on the charge of racially-aggravated assault against Holly Davis and disregard other elements of the incident.
The trial is ongoing as the court weighs the evidence presented.