Kebab shop attackers fined for racist abuse (From Gazette Series)

Kebab shop attackers fined for racist abuse

MAYHEM erupted in a Dursley kebab shop when customers hurled racist abuse at Turkish staff, a court has heard.

Mustafa Cetyn, 31, owner of the Kebab and Pizza House in Parsonage Street, reacted by hitting three of the customers with a pair of metal salad tongs, Gloucester Crown Court was told last Friday.

In the dock were Cetyn, of Kingsmill Park, Dursley, Kevin Withers, 27, of Hadley Road, Cam, and Stephen Burrows, 37, of Withy Way, Cam.

All three admitted affray at the shop on September 3 last year.

Judge Martin Picton sentenced Cetyn and Burrows to do 150 hours of community punishment work each and Withers to do 120 hours. All three men were each ordered to pay £180 prosecution costs.

Three other defendants, who had denied the affray, were formally cleared by the judge after the prosecution offered no evidence against them.

Alan Fuller, prosecuting, said it was 12.30am when Burrows, Withers and Pritchard went into the kebab house. They asked for chips but Withers then also asked for cigarettes, claiming that they were sold under the counter at the shop.

"When this request was refused customers heard racist abuse from these men," said Mr Fuller. "Withers was seen to lean over the counter shouting abuse at the staff."

Cetyn was said to have called the police but a fight then broke out and all three defendants were seen to be throwing blows.

Mr Fuller said Cetyn armed himself with a pair of salad tongs and hit all three customers on their heads, causing them some injuries.

"A number of customers were young women - they were terrified by the violence used in such close proximity to them," added Mr Fuller.

Defending for Cetyn, Simon Burns said: "His shop was under seige at the time. It is unattractive that he got himself involved in violence, he knows that.

"But his shop was being attacked, his staff were being attacked and he was being attacked.

"There was some vicious and appalling racist language in a sustained barrage of abuse."

Sentencing the men Judge Picton told Burrows and Withers they should be ashamed of their disgraceful behaviour.

"You were carrying on like a bunch of 14 year olds. You are mature people and you should know better and you should be setting an example to your community and not being a shame to it by your drunken, abusive, racist and violent behaviour."

To Cetyn, he said "You were sorely provoked that night. Sadly that is quite often the experience of people who run establishments such as yours." But the judge said although the racist abuse was totally unacceptable Cetyn's retaliation with a metal weapon could not be justified.