AN AGGRESSIVE vegan activist spat at a woman in a railway station because she thought she was wearing a fur-lined coat.

Dylan Roffey confronted friends Rhiannon Boyle and Helen Mitchell at Brighton Station.

She took issue with the fact that Ms Boyle was wearing a £740 Canada Goose coat.

“Do you know you are wearing dog fur?” she asked.

Ms Boyle denied it and told her it was none of her business.

Roffey then lost her temper and became intimidating.

She called Ms Boyle a “nasty piece of s***,” before drawing in breath and spitting.

It left Ms Boyle tearful, shocked, and covered in spittle.

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court Roffey, who hopes to become an actress, was found guilty of assault.

It was revealed she was wearing a hat with the word “vegan” written on it, and that she often carries leaflets in order to “educate” people about her cause.

District judge Amanda Kelly ordered Roffey to complete 150 hours of community service for the “disgusting” attack.

Dominic Dudkowksi, prosecuting, said the incident happened on January 5 this year at 5.40pm.

He said Ms Boyle and Ms Mitchell were simply minding their own business when they were approached.

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Ms Mitchell, appearing as a witness, said her friend was “crying and shaken” after the incident.

“She inhaled to gather some spit and deliberately got very close to Rhiannon, she leaned forward and was about a foot away, there was a lot of spit,” Ms Mitchell told the court.

In the dock, Roffey, 24, of Terminus Road, Brighton, denied the attack, and claimed she had spoken to both women in friendly terms.

She said she had not run away from the incident and had left when it became clear that the two women did not share her vegan views and were not interested.

Meredoc McMinn, defending, suggested that some spittle may have come out during the course of a heated debate.

He said Roffey has no previous convictions, and is considered as a generous and kind woman, with passionate views.

She has appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain where she was grilled by Piers Morgan, but had been “articulate” in her views.

Meanwhile family friend and former dairy farmer Kevin Chapman gave a character reference in court.

He said: “She is incredibly kind and generous, highly principled and an honourable person.

“I have not known her to be angry, she is dogged but not aggressive.”

Judge Kelly said that despite the unclear CCTV footage of the incident, both witnesses had a “compelling” account.

Footage did show Ms Mitchell standing up, apparently in shock.

Ms Kelly said: “As the conversation progressed, she became more intimidating and aggressive, and was overly accusatory, calling Ms Boyle a nasty piece of s***.

“I am absolutely sure that Dylan Roffey did spit at Ms Boyle because she was angry and upset at not being listened to.

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“She lost her temper, it may have been completely out of character.

“She is a pleasant young woman with strong beliefs.

“But to deliberately spit at someone is a serious offence.

“It is disgusting.

“It is not an acceptable way to express her views.”

Roffey must complete the unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £500 court costs, £150 compensation to Ms Boyle and an £85 surcharge.

She agreed to pay the money back at a rate of £50 per month.