Couple claim Poole Harbour Festival security staff assaulted them

Kerry and Jonathan Tyers, from Poole, said the incident happened on Sunday evening after they had spent the day attending the festival and returning home with their drinks periodically to check on their dog.

They claim Vespasian Security staff approached them when Jonathan tried to leave with beer he had bought at the festival.

They say a female security guard forced Kerry to the ground after she intervened and restrained Jonathan when he stepped in.

They say hospital visits for bruising, a shoulder injury and suspected ligament damage left them needing a sling and unable to run their mobile tyre-fitting business.

Kerry said: “I was absolutely shocked. You don’t expect it at all.

“We know our rights and wrong, and what happened was just extreme.”

The pair say they will not return to the festival, which they have attended every year since it began in 2016.

“It used to be a fun, small family festival, but we’re not going anymore,” Kerry said.

“It has completely put me off.

“Security staff are there to keep people safe, not to escalate situations to the point where people leave injured.”

Kerry also believes security staff should not have continued to intervene once the pair had left the festival site and were on a public right of way.

Their friend Rebecca Smith, who witnessed the incident and contacted police, said: “Jon was launched to the floor and Kerry was grabbed by the head and thrown to the floor.

“One of the security guards said to Jon, ‘Do you submit?’ before letting him go, which I thought was a very unusual thing to say.”

Rebecca said the alleged incident could badly hit the couple's business.

“It’s awful because that’s their livelihood, and I think it’s abhorrent, to be honest,” she said.

Dorset Police said officers received a report at about 7.10pm on Sunday, August 2, that a man had been assaulted by security staff in the Baiter Park area of Poole. A further report was later received alleging a woman had also been assaulted at the same location.

The force said enquiries are ongoing and no one has been arrested.

Vespasian Security Ltd director Ollie Gardner said the firm had received no formal complaint.

He said: “We've had no direct feedback from any customer relating to the incident. If anyone would like to make direct contact with us, we would be more than happy to assist and hear any feedback, whether positive or negative.

“We started as a family company and we continue to operate to those standards. We always want to make sure we can get to the bottom of any concerns that are raised.

“At the same time, we want to ensure that events are represented accurately and that any discussion is based on what actually occurred.”

Poole Harbour Festival organisers said they could not comment and were unaware of an ongoing police investigation.

At the 2025 festival, police praised security staff for detaining a man after a report of sexual touching involving a 15-year-old girl.