Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Porn perv ruins meal
Anniversary meal ruined
A horrified diner claims a fellow customer at a Coatbridge restaurant ruined his first wedding anniversary dinner by repeatedly viewing pornography on his phone.
Disgusted Derek Paterson presented photographic p roof of the ma n ’ s inconsiderate actions to staff at the Crown Jewel but says they allowed the man to remain in the family eaterie – and called him and his wife Kelli liars.
The couple now say there is “no chance” they will ever return to the Indian restaurant.
A Coatbridge man claims he and his wife’s first anniversary dinner at a local restaurant was ruined – by a customer at the next table watching pornography on his mobile phone.
Townhead resident Derek Paterson says his disgust was compounded when staff at the Crown Jewel allowed the man to remain in the family eaterie even after the shocked dad-of-two showed them photographic proof of the man viewing x-rated content. Until Saturday, Derek, 33, and wife Kelli, 29, were regular visitors to the Indian restaurant but insist they’ll never be back amid claims they were shouted out of the restaurant and called liars by the owner. Derek told the Advertiser: “We were sitting having drinks and Kelli saw the man surfing pornography w websites over my shoulder. “After about 10 to 15 minutes Kelli sa said he was still watching it so I turned ar around a bit and made it obvious I co could see so that he would hear me an and stop what he was doing. ““He turned his body around a bit but continued on just as we were brought our starters and Kelly began to get pretty disturbed and upset.
“I took a photo because I knew if I was going to mention this nobody would believe me if I didn’t have proof.
“Eventually I had a word with one of the bartenders who notified the owner, who then called the man, by name, through the back of the restaurant.
“Not long after, the man then came back through and said to me ‘I wasn’t watching porn’.”
Derek continued: “I told him I had a photo to prove it and his face dropped; then the manager came over, began to side with the man and asked ‘what do you want me to do?’”
“He offered us a different table in the restaurant but I wanted him to be asked to leave.
“At this point the manager started shouting at us to ‘get out, go on, leave!’”
Embarrassed and angry, Derek and Kelli say they were left with no option but to leave the restaurant, their planned celebrations in tatters.
Derek added: “You only get one first anniversary as a married couple and this completely ruined ours.
“There’s no chance we’ll ever be back to the Crown Jewel; I really can’t believe the stance the owner took. It’s very disappointing.”
When we contacted the restaurant, the manager, who wished to remain nameless, refuted Derek’s claims.
He said: “I know the customer in question and he was on a French media website which has pop-ups.
“The complainer is talking a lot of rubbish by saying he was on other websites.
“If he was indeed watching pornographic videos in my restaurant I would have asked him to leave, but I am positive he wasn’t.
“I tried to satisfy the customer and offer him a different table but they took it too far and said these lies.”
Derek added: “My wife and I saw him surfing the sites and clicking on videos.
“Whatever people do in their own homes is fair enough but to be doing that in a busy restaurant around other people is frankly disgusting.”
Have you ever encountered anyone watching pornography in public? If so, how did you react? Contact Andrew Bargh on 01698 205231.