Hannah Bourne and Lulu Berlin allege security guards assaulted them

Hannah Bourne and Lulu Berlin alleged three security guards were involved in removing them from the racecourse because they went to the toilet together in a portaloo.

The pair said they used a portaloo because indoor toilets had long lines. They shared the loo for safety reasons. They alleged security guards "shoved and grabbed" them and called them "disgusting bitches and whores".

The two women, both University of Newcastle students, said they had been suffering from anxiety and sleepless nights since the incident.

As they came out of the loo, a security guard allegedly told them they weren't allowed to share it and must leave the venue immediately.

The security company involved has denied the allegations.

Ms Bourne said there were "no signs saying we can't go in the bathroom together".

"It wasn't a written rule on the tickets. I said, 'I'm really sorry, can you let us off on a warning'. I tried to be polite.

"He wouldn't listen to me. I said, 'look mate I've paid $50 for this event and I don't want to be kicked out because I had to go to the bathroom'.

"He then radioed to the nearest security guard and said, 'Come over here and help me kick these f***wits out'.

"This other guy comes over and puts his hands on us immediately and started shoving. I said, 'Get your hands off me, mate. I don't need to be shoved out, I can walk myself out'."

Ms Berlin said they used the same toilet because there were "heaps of men standing outside the portaloos and we felt a little bit intimidated".

She alleged the security guard who told them to leave "progressively became more and more aggressive".

"I've never experienced security guards that were so aggressive from the get-go. It's like they had something built up inside them."

Ms Bourne alleged a security guard had a "tight grasp on my arm".

"I started saying, 'Do you understand why women go to the bathroom together? It's because venues can be unsafe. We've been taught from a young age to go to the bathroom together'."

Ms Berlin said she was in high heels, it was wet and muddy and she was "trying to walk out".

"They were like 'hurry up, walk faster'."

She became distressed by the security guards' "vulgar language".

"I said, 'Can you guys please calm down'. As soon as I said that, both of them grabbed me on each side and started shoving me out. I remember the feeling of them grabbing onto my arms so aggressively. I've never experienced that before. I felt so helpless."

Ms Bourne was left traumatised by the incident.

"I cried the whole way home and all night. I couldn't sleep. It literally hasn't left my mind since. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it," she said.

Ms Berlin said she and Ms Bourne "became distressed because we're not people who get thrown out of venues".

"It was mind-boggling that someone could put their hands on someone like that in such a big area and no one did anything or recognised that it was wrong. It was crazy."

Outside the venue, the pair were visibly upset and distressed.

"I ended up speaking to another security guard out the front because he saw us in distress. I explained everything that happened. He said that wasn't on and 'I can't believe they did that to you'. He was part of the same security company. He strongly suggested that we report it," Ms Bourne said.

A solicitor representing the company said: "My client treats any and all allegations made in relation to its staff extremely seriously".

"My client is in the process of conducting a thorough investigation into this matter. As part of that investigation, my client's directors have conducted interviews with its staff and witnesses at the event. Based on the progress of the investigation to date, my client asserts that the allegations made by the complainants are entirely false.

"It is clear that there is a very different version of events that has been described by my client's staff and other witnesses than what has been described by the two complainants. My client's staff involved in the incident strenuously deny any allegations of wrongdoing of any kind including any verbal or physical assaults."

A spokesperson for the racecourse said a complaint was received from the father of one of the women.

"It's a serious allegation and we are investigating it thoroughly," the spokesman said.

Ms Bourne's father Michael Bourne, of Manly, alleged the security guards "humiliated and violated" the women and showed "no empathy at all". "All they wanted to do was exercise some element of power," he said.

The women don't want their story to be all about them.

"The more I think about it, this sort of stuff probably happens all the time. People are probably afraid to speak up because of this power security guards have," Ms Bourne said. "It's important to spread awareness about this. If no one does, it will keep happening."

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