Man found guilty of abusing and assaulting takeaway shop staff

Categories: Latest News
Thursday December 22 2016
The Eastern Daily Press reports on the court appearance of a man who verbally abused staff at a Turkish takeaway and tried to damage their shop after he was refused service when they closed up for the day.
James Chew, 36, appeared before Norwich Magistrates Court this week in connection with the incident which happened at The Kebab Hut in Hoveton, Norfolk on 31 August.
The court heard Emre Aksahin was closing up shop at around 12.30am when Chew began banging on the door demanding food. When Chew was told he could not be served he attempted to set the timber door of the takeaway shop alight while abusing the staff and telling them he would “send them back to their country”.
Emre Aksahin told the court that he, his partner and his brother had been closing up for the day when Chew turned up demanding food. Aksahin said they had no more food left to serve and told Chew that they could not serve him.
Aksahin told the court: “He said ‘this is my country, I am going to get you kicked out of the country’.
“He said he was going to burn the shop down with his lighter. He took his lighter out and he tried to light the door. He said ‘I’m going to burn the shop down, I’m going to burn you all, I know where you stay’. When he was trying to light the door he said ‘lets have a fight one to one, I am going to send you back out of this country’.”
Aksahin said “I went outside the front of the shop and he grabbed me by the neck. He said, ‘I am going to send you back to Afghanistan’.”
Mr Aksahin explained to the court that he is not Afghani but of Turkish origin.
Aksahin’s brother, Hilmi, told the court Chew was “very drunk” while Aksahin’s partner, Hayley, described Chew’s attempts to set the door alight and her call to the police.
Chew denied the allegations saying he had not had a drink since being diagnosed with diabetes and denied uttering racist words. Chew told the court he had acted to “protect himself” after being “intimidated” by three men in the shop.
Chew was found guilty of racially aggravated common assault and threatening to cause criminal damage. The court heard he had five previous public order offences, one conviction for battery and another for assaulting a police officer.
Chew was released on bail on condition he does not contact Emre Aksahin or go to The Kebab Hut on Norwich Road. He will be sentenced on 25 January 2017.