Ugly dispute breaks out between young woman and live music bar after night out turns into violent nightmare… as dark claims emerge about venue

A woman who was headbutted while on a night out has lashed out at a venue for not doing enough to protect patrons, as more people come forward with horror stories of attacks.

Britt Michell, 31, was out with friends at live music bar The Rogue Scholar in Newcastle on Saturday night.

She claimed a man, who appeared to be in his 50s, hit her so hard that her glasses flew off her face.

Ms Michell’s partner claimed the venue did not call police and allowed the man to leave without repercussions.

The bar hit back, saying in now-deleted Facebook comments that it had called officers, while claiming it was only the second violent incident to happen within the past five years. 

The claim was made despite a band pulling out of a coming gig at the venue after one of its members said their partner was assaulted outside the pub in January.

Ms Michell said it is the second time she has been attacked while out, with her story prompting other women to come forward with their own horror stories of nights out in Newcastle. 

Her fiancée Hayley Goldie told Daily Mail Australia there appeared to be an unacceptable nightlife culture were women were being assaulted in the city.

Ms Goldie, who is 32, was not with Ms Michell on the night out, but shared her fiancée’s account on social media.

‘She went to get help at the bar and told them to call the police… and the man followed her and tried to assault her again,’ she said.

‘Britt was led to believe that the police were taking care of it and she could leave the venue.’

Ms Goldie said when her partner left the venue the security guard said police were ‘never there, never called and nothing will probably come of the assault’. 

‘She was gaslit by the owners of this venue into thinking she was getting help when indeed, it never happened and the venue just let this man leave,’ she said.

‘They did absolutely nothing about a woman being beaten by a man in their venue.’

Daily Mail Australia contacted The Rogue Scholar for comment.

The venue responded to a social media user’s comment on the Facebook post explaining ‘police were called and the person was arrested’.

The posts have since been deleted.

‘It’s the second recorded incident of violence in the venue for 5 years. And that’s 2 too many for our liking,’ the venue said.

The Rogue Scholar then shared a statement to Instagram and Facebook on Monday – before both accounts were deleted on Tuesday morning.

‘The individual responsible and other people directly involved in the incident were promptly removed from the venue, and our staff immediately offered assistance to the injured person,’ the statement said.

‘We genuinely believed we were acting with the utmost care and concern.

‘At no point did it appear to us that the injured person was dissatisfied with the support we provided.’

NSW Police confirmed an investigation was launched on Sunday after receiving a report of the incident – which Ms Goldie said was made by the couple.

Ms Goldie said the ordeal remains raw, with her fiancée not ready to speak publicly.

‘Britt’s healing physically. But emotionally, she’s very vulnerable and it’s all catching up with her,’ she said.

This is the second time Ms Michell has been attacked, after a group of men allegedly jumped her at Newtown train station in Sydney’s Inner West in September 2017. 

‘She’s dealing with all these emotions from being assaulted, and then it is bringing up trauma from when it happened before,’ Ms Goldie said.

The couple, who have been together for two years, share four sons between the ages of four and 13.

‘We’ve been so open with them because we want to educate for the next generation,’ Ms Goldie said.

‘The little ones, they understand to an aspect, but we’ve got a 13 year old who is so angry.’

Since going public with the incident, Ms Goldie says she has been contacted by many other women to share their experiences of violence in Newcastle.

‘My inbox has been flooded with survivors and people messaging me,’ she said.

Pop-punk band Radio X also announced on Monday it will not be playing at The Rogue Scholar moving forward. 

The Newcastle band alleges the partner of one of their members was sexually assaulted outside the venue in January in front of a security guard

‘We cannot in good conscience play there knowing there is a risk of any one of our audience members feeling unsafe or unsupported,’ a Facebook post read.

The response to Ms Michell’s story has driven the couple into further action, with plans to hold a rally to raise awareness about women’s safety.