Four year jail sentence for Harpreet Singh
A DRINKER who hurled a pint glass in a barman’s face after objecting to being asked to remove his hat has been jailed for four years.
Coventry Crown Court heard how Harpreet Singh was in the Burnt Post pub in Finham last December when a staff member told him it was pub policy for customers to remove headgear.
The 23-year-old responded by throwing his glass at the barman which caused a gash to his forehead that later needed nine stitches.
Singh, from Nuffield Road in Coventry, claimed he hadn’t intended to throw the pint – but a jury took just 30 minutes to find him guilty by a unanimous verdict.
Last month a judge at Coventry Crown Court jailed him for four years.
Coventry Police Detective Constable Sally Betteridge said: “I’m very happy with the sentence. It emphasises that aggression towards bar or restaurant staff in Coventry won’t be tolerated.
“This is a family-friendly pub; it’s completely unacceptable for a customer to act so aggressively to an innocent request to remove a hat. With shards of glass flying around other pub-users or staff members could also have been injured.
“The victim has been scarred for life as a result of Singh’s actions. Violent outbursts like this against staff are rare and culprits can expect to be dealt with severely.”
Singh entered the pub, in Kenpas Highway, with two friends at around 6pm on Saturday December 11 and after being served was asked to take off his hat.
He refused and, when his drinking partners removed it for him, he replaced the cap and then launched the glass across the bar following a second request. One eye-witness described it being thrown forcefully “like a dart”.
Fellow customers helped detain Singh at the scene and he was arrested minutes later by Coventry Police officers.
Singh, who refused to give evidence at his trial, had admitted a lesser charge of unlawful wounding but that was not accepted by the prosecution.
