Restaurant Owner Throws Chili Powder In Customer's Face For ‘Rubbery’ Chicken Complaint

The owner of Prince of Bengal, a curry house in Tonypandy, South Wales, was accused of throwing chili powder in a customer’s face after he complained of the chicken not being up to the mark.

In a case presented before the Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Monday, 47-year-old chef Kamrul Islam — the owner of Prince of Bengal restaurant — was accused of physically hurting David Evans, a customer who had gone to eat at his restaurant. According to the prosecution, the accused threw chili powder at Evans when he complained about the quality of chicken served during his meal, the Telegraph reported.

The incident took place Jan. 21, 2017, when Evans and his wife Michelle had gone to have dinner around 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EST) at the restaurant. They were halfway through their main dishes when a waiter approached their table to collect feedback about the food.

“It was reported to the waiter that they were not really happy and it was said that the chicken in particular was tough and rubbery,” Stephen Donaghue, for the prosecution, told the court.

After hearing their complaint, the waiter decided to fetch Islam, who asked them in an “aggressive and difficult manner” what issues they had with his quality of food. “Its f-----g tandoori chicken,” Islam told the couple.

In an attempt to calm him down, Evan grabbed the owner’s arm, at which he swore some more, warning the former not to touch him. Displeased with the fact that Islam had used an unpleasant tone in front of his wife, Evans followed Islam, who retreated to the kitchen following the heated exchange.

"It was at this point that the defendant had some chili powder in his hand that he had acquired in the kitchen and then threw it in the face of Mr Evans," Donaghue said.

The effect was immediate, as Evans doubled back in pain. Emergency services were called and the victim was rushed to the hospital where a saline drip was used to clean out remnants of chili powder from his eyes. Evans also sustained minor burns on parts of his body where the powder landed.

Islam was taken into police custody the same night. While he did not deny throwing chili powder, he told the police during interrogation he had acted in self-defense.

The owner said he initially thought Evans might have wanted a free meal and on being made no such offer had pursued him all the way to the kitchen, adding Evans’ hands were balled into a fist when he turned and saw him standing at the doorway.

“He said he picked the chili powder up because he thought Mr Evans might throw a punch at him and, as he turned around, Mr Evans was forming his hand into a fist as if to punch him,” the prosecution said before the court.

Islam also maintained he did not use swear words in front of the couple and had quite a “polite” conversation with them regarding the complaints they wanted to make.

The trial is ongoing and has been adjourned to Tuesday at 10.30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. EST).