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Chef throws chilli powder in complaining customer's face

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court saw the CCTV as part of an ongoing court case

Louis Dore
Thursday 08 February 2018 19:52 GMT
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Chef Kamrul Islam throws chilli powder in the face of customer David Evans

A curry house owner threw chilli powder in a customer's eyes when he complained about "rubbery" chicken in the Prince of Bengal in Tonypandy, Wales.

A jury saw CCTV footage of Kamrul Islam, 47, which appears to show the chef throwing a large fistful of chilli powder in the face of a complaining diner.

Mr Islam is on trial, accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on David Evans, who he threw the spice at on 21 January last year.

CCTV footage played at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court depicted the moment Mr Evans followed Mr Islam to the kitchen.

Mr Islam says he was very frightened as he walked away from the table of the complaining Mr Evans and his wife, and that he picked up the chilli powder to defend himself from Mr Evans, who he said had clenched his fist in the doorway to the kitchen.

The court heard Mr and Ms Evans ordered two Cobra beers and two bottles of wine but the couple said the second bottle of wine had not been started.

The couple told jurors Mr Islam was irate and aggressive and Mr Evans said he only followed him because he wanted an apology for his wife but had not clenched his fist and had “no intention of doing anything of that sort”.

Ms Evans told the jury that she posted on Facebook about the incident the following day because she “wanted to tell the people of Tonypandy and the surrounding area that if they went there this is what they might be treated like”.

The court heard in the post Ms Evans wrote that she saw Mr Islam pick up a bowl of chilli powder through the glass of the kitchen.

Jurors were told that Mr Evans was taken to hospital and a saline drip was used to clean his eyes. He was found to have suffered burns when the spice landed on him.

Mr Islam, of Llewellyn Street, Pentre, was arrested later that night.

He denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The trial continues.

Additional reporting PA

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