Race rant City boss is banned from pubs in London
A FINANCE boss who racially abused a couple has been barred from all pubs in central London for a year after a judge said he could not handle his drink.
Robert Tolley, 48, had been drinking for six hours at a pub near Liverpool Street Station at a colleagues’ leaving do on February 21.
The father of two, a director at insurance specialist EC3 Brokers, left the party shortly after 7.30pm and walked to the train station.
While on an escalator he bumped into couple Sheikh Ahmed and Sayema Khanom and pushed both of them, calling Miss Khanom a
‘We are going to curb your drinking’
‘Kumar prostitute’ and Mr Ahmed a ‘dog’ in Arabic.
He was sentenced to a community order, and was told by District Judge Michael Snow: ‘Since you cannot control yourself while you are drinking we are going to try and curb your drinking.’
He has also been suspended by his employer.
Tolley has been told he cannot enter any pub, bar or nightclub in central London or Wiltshire – where he lives – for a year.
Ricky Yau, defending, asked the court to alter an eight-week curfew order placed on him because of business trips to Palma and Barcelona next month.
He explained: ‘They are his clients. He has already set up the meetings. If he does not attend then the transaction won’t go through and he will have to answer to his chief executive.’
Judge Snow granted the request but extended the curfew to nine weeks which will not apply when he goes abroad for the work trips.
Mr Yau added: ‘He has a decent job in financial services.
‘It was a lunch-time leaving do for a colleague that started at one o’clock and ended at 7.30pm.’
On Wednesday, Tolley admitted two charges of racially-aggravated common assault.
The broker, who lives in a £500,000 semi- detached house, was ‘deeply ashamed’ of what he had done, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
Marcia Evans, prosecuting, said: ‘On February 21 at about 8.15pm at Liverpool Street Station the complainants had been exiting when Mr Ahmed noticed the defendant. He was on the escalator with his partner.
‘The defendant came quite close to her. He goes down the escalator, he pushes Mr Ahmed and Miss Khanom tries to intervene in the centre of that dispute.
‘There is a suggestion of a punch, but nothing landing.’
Tolley also called Mr Ahmed a ‘brown dog’ in English before he was arrested at the scene.
Judge Snow said: ‘The aggravating features of this offence are that there were two victims, not one, and the incident took place at a very busy central London station.
‘That would have caused extra distress for anybody who had to witness what you did. From your own point of view, the reason this is going to be dealt with by community order is because the court will not tolerate this type of offence.’
Tolley, of Manton, Wiltshire, was given a 12-month community order barring him from all pubs in central London and Wiltshire, and must abide by a curfew for nine weeks from 8.30pm to 4.30am.
A spokesman for EC3 Brokers told Mail Online: ‘EC3 Brokers became aware of this terrible incident today. We can confirm Robert Tolley, a divisional director, has been suspended until the conclusion of a disciplinary procedure.’