Wolverhampton restaurant owner attacked by group who refused to pay
“I don’t feel safe - I feel scared.” Those are the words of a restaurateur in Wolverhampton who was attacked by a group of men who refused to pay their bill.
Syed Shah, owner and chef at Jivan’s, Broad Street, was punched in the face and kicked on the ground by three men after they refused to pay £31.85.
The men, who entered the Broad Street restaurant just after 12am on Bank Holiday Monday, tried to leave without paying before being pursued by Mr Shah.
WATCH: Restaurant owner speaks out after attack
He said: “Three people were sitting in here [the restaurant], They entered about 12 o’clock and they ordered food.
"They finished the food and then one guy wanted to go outside.
“I said ‘no you can’t go, you’ve got to pay the bill’. He said he was coming back after a fag (cigarette).
"I said when you finish your food you need to pay. You can do it (smoke) after you pay.
“He said ‘I’m going outside’ and pushed me and went outside and the second and third man went as well.”
Punched and kicked
The 50-year-old asked Harpreet Kaur, a waitress at the restaurant, to call the police as he headed off after them before violence flared.
"I tried to engage them so we get enough time and during this I thought the police would come and sort it out.
“They started to walk off and they started to threaten me.
"One of them, he punched me and stuck out his leg so that I’d fall badly. They then kicked me when I was down.
“I lay there and I’m thinking, ‘I’m dying’ and after that I don’t know what happened.”
Protection
Mr Shah has now called for better protection for small businesses in the city.
“You can’t run a business like this,” he said. “The question is: who will give us protection?
"I do not blame the police because they’ve cut the funds, they can’t cover the whole of Wolverhampton, but if we called a few years they would come straight away. I don’t feel safe. I’m so scared I can’t sleep.”
Since the attack Mr Shah – who says he's increasingly had to deal with customers refusing to pay their bill – has had to hire another chef to handle the day-to-day running of the restaurant.
Police said they were investigating an assault on a shop owner after three men allegedly left without paying.
“The men were challenged by the owner who was punched and kicked, sustaining injuries to his face and body, before being taken to hospital.,” a spokesman said.
CCTV enquiries continue and anyone with information is asked to contact police via Live Chat at www.west-midlands.police.uk, between 8am and midnight, or to call 101 anytime quoting crime reference 20WV/107488Z/19.
