A man who spent £7,000 in his local Costa Coffee has been banned from the store after his ex-partner, described as a 'pathological liar,' falsely told staff he was a sex offender. David Rimmer, 60, was subjected to a campaign of harassment by Kimberley Goodings, 56, which included following him around Liverpool Shopping Park on Edge Lane, shouting abuse, and making unproven, damaging accusations.
False Claims Lead to Ban
The harassment culminated in Goodings falsely claiming to staff at the Costa branch inside Next on the retail park that Mr Rimmer was a convicted sex offender. Mr Rimmer called the police in tears, but Costa's response led to him being banned from the premises and all 2,700 coffee shops across the UK.
Goodings appeared before Liverpool Crown Court in April and was sentenced to 28 months in prison for stalking, making threats with a bladed article in a private place, and assault by beating. The sentencing judge called the harassment 'highly distressing' and noted it led to the ban from 'the coffee outlet which he had a habit of frequenting.'
Attempt to Overturn Ban
Following Goodings' sentencing, Mr Rimmer contacted Costa Coffee with proof of her court appearance to overturn the ban. In an email from a customer services team manager, seen by the ECHO, Costa said it would be 'happy to welcome you back' to its UK branches 'given the new evidence.' However, the email asked Mr Rimmer to continue to 'refrain from visiting' his local branch. The barring notice at the Liverpool Shopping Park branch remained due to a 'perceived threat to [the staff's] welfare and safety' as a result of Goodings' tirade, adding 'this decision was taken on that basis rather than a determination of the allegations themselves.'
Mr Rimmer, who lives just metres from the Edge Lane retail park, told the ECHO he had spent more than £7,000 at the coffee shop over the past seven years since moving from Denmark. He visited Costa five or six days a week for his regular latte, but this latest rejection made him feel like he was still being treated as a criminal despite the court's findings.
Emotional Toll
He said: 'I'm still being treated as I have done something wrong. All they would have had to do would be a minor investigation into what Goodings put me through. They would have seen she was in court and the last time I was in trouble was in 1993 and that was for a road traffic violation.' He added: 'I do not understand Costa's stance. I do not want to go to another Costa, this one is 300m from my home. I had to deal with Goodings and now I have to deal with this. I feel like the door has been slammed in my face. It all feels like a domino effect where everything is falling in the wrong direction for me.'
The ECHO has repeatedly approached Costa Coffee for comment but has not received a response.
Background of Harassment
The ECHO previously reported that Goodings and Mr Rimmer had been in a relationship for around 12 months before it broke down last summer. The pair continued to live together, but on August 31, Goodings became abusive and accused Mr Rimmer of having an affair. Liverpool Crown Court heard she continued to 'shout and scream, including making a threat to slit his throat' before 'lunging towards him' with a kitchen knife. She held the blade around 1cm from his face before hitting him on the head and body. Mr Rimmer called the police, and Goodings was arrested the following day and bailed with conditions not to contact him.
Despite the bail conditions, she bombarded him with emails 'almost immediately' before the incident on Liverpool Shopping Park. Goodings told Mr Rimmer 'how can a big, bad biker be afraid of a little woman?' before making false accusations. She continued to message him on Instagram and accused him of engaging in bestiality in grim social media posts.
Impact on Health
Mr Rimmer told the court he had been 'traumatised' by the relationship and claimed Goodings had 'made his life a living hell.' Speaking to the ECHO, he said he continued to endure physical and mental suffering as a result of the relationship, court proceedings, and Costa's decision. He said: 'The impact is I have gone from an outgoing fella - the kind of guy who would throw everything into a rucksack and take off - to someone so far away from that. I was a biggish bloke, but I lost four stone and none of my clothes fitted me.'
He added: 'It has been a very rough year where not much has gone to plan. The sentence she got in court is not a sentence that she will serve. That is deeply disturbing. I thought I had a bit of breathing space to get on with my life but I was horrified to be told I did not have anything like as long as I thought.' Under British law, defendants usually serve half of their prison sentence before release on licence. However, due to prison overcrowding, the government introduced an early release scheme in England and Wales, meaning most prisoners serve only 40% of their standard sentence in custody. This means Goodings could be released by this time next year.
Mr Rimmer said he has borderline personality disorder but manages it with medication. He added that the ongoing ordeal of being treated as a criminal and enduring Goodings' 'pathological lies' through the investigation and court appearance have taken a toll. Asked about Costa's decision, he said: 'Costa has stopped talking to me. They will say 'why would we,' but their response was absolutely appalling. I was an innocent person in this. I was verbally abused and she told them I was a convicted sex offender. This ordeal has just been too much.'
