Indian takeaway owner jailed for a year after attacking Dubliner

Sunday World

22-06-2025

Shane Dalton had flown to Donegal with his boyfriend and sister for a weekend away to celebrate his sister's birthday
A Co Donegal restaurant owner has been jailed for a year after he assaulted and injured a man following a 'geopolitical' row at his Indian takeaway.
Prabhjot Singh denied assaulting Dubliner Shane Dalton at his Taste of India restaurant in Letterkenny after objecting to the victim speaking Urdu in the early hours of May 7th, 2022.
Letterkenny District Court heard how Mr Dalton couldn't properly open his eye for a week after being slapped and punched by Singh.
Mr Dalton had flown to Donegal with his boyfriend and sister for a weekend away to celebrate his sister's birthday.
The three had gone for drinks and enjoyed dinner before going out on the town and ended up in the Taste of India for another bite to eat at 3.40am.
The court heard how Mr Dalton, who is half Pakistani, was chatting to his boyfriend Robert Shevlin in the takeaway and using the Urdu language.
Urdu is a major language of South Asia, specifically spoken in Pakistan and India.
Mr Dalton told the court that he was using 'curse words' in Urdu such as 'motherfucker' but said he was joking with his boyfriend in a private conversation between themselves.
He claimed that Singh, the owner, then came out from behind the counter and took offence at Urdu being spoken and asked Mr Dalton how he knew the Urdu language.
A confrontation occurred and the court was told that Singh slapped Mr Dalton in the face and then followed that up with a number of punches before Mr Dalton fell onto a number of chairs.
Detective Garda Eimear Hassett told the court that she was called to the scene and found Mr Dalton with what appeared to be blood on a white sleeveless top, his face was swollen and there was a cut above his left eye.
Both men pointed through the window of the premises to the culprit as being a man wearing a blue t-shirt who turned out to be Prabhjot Singh, now aged 38.
Mr Dalton was taken to hospital by ambulance, received treatment for his injuries and flew back home to Dublin the following day.
The victim and his then boyfriend, now husband, Mr Shevlin, then both attended their local Ballyfermot Garda Station where they made statements about the incident.
Both Mr Dalton and Mr Shevlin gave their version of events on the night as did the owner of the restaurant Mr Singh.
Mr Dalton said that after he was cursing in Urdu with his boyfriend, a man approached him from behind the counter and took him to one side and asked him how he knew how to speak this language.
He explained that he was half Pakistani but the man said he was being so disrespectful and gave him "a big huge hard slap."
Mr Dalton then said the assailant then punched him twice and got him in a headlock and asked him what was he going to do and called him "a pussy."
The victim then said he went unconscious before waking up with a number of men standing around him and as he left they were shouting abuse at him and calling him a "Paki bastard" and other names.
He went outside and an ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital.
His now husband, Mr Shevlin also gave his version of events from the night which reflected that of the victim.
During cross examination by solicitor for Singh, Mr Rory O'Brien, both men were asked if they were intoxicated as had been suggested by Detective Hassett.
Mr Shevlin said they had been drinking over the course of the day and may have been intoxicated.
However, he added "I do believe we were intoxicated but I don't believe that is relevant and I don't believe we we deserved to be assaulted."
He added that he did not believe there was any malicious intent in his partner using curse words in the Urdu language saying it was "not a public announcement but a private conversation.
He also claimed that while his partner Mr Dalton was being assaulted, Mr Singh was shouting "fu**ing muslims."
Mr O'Brien asked Mr Shevlin did he really believe that the row arose because of a 'geo political' issue and that his client was so incensed because Mr Dalton was a Pakistani national that he was going to "get it."
"I would suggest this is highly implausible and a fantastical version of events," added Mr O'Brien.
Mr Shevlin replied that if Shane was not assaulted then they would not be here (in court).
The accused man then entered the witness box and gave his version of events.
He claimed that Mr Dalton was leaning on the counter and shouting at staff in the Urdu language calling them 'mother fuckers" and "bastards" and asking where they were from.
Mr Singh said he eventually went over to Mr Dalton and told him he could not speak to his staff like that and asked him to leave.
He said Mr Dalton was very drunk, at one stage fell back and broke the glass of the fire alarm. He admitted that he pushed Mr Dalton as he was coming at him and claimed that was when he (Mr Dalton) fell on some chairs and hurt himself.
The accused man said he had nothing against Pakistani people and even had some working for him but claimed that when Mr dalton mentioned the situation in Kashmir, he asked him to leave.
Mr Singh was cross-examined by Garda Inspector Seamus McGonigle who asked him why there was no security on the night and why there was no CCTV on the premises.
The restaurant owner said he usually had security but it was getting harder to find people to work and also there were renovations taking place and there was no CCTV available from the time.
Inspector McGonigle asked Singh was it not the case that once Mr Dalton started to speak Urdu and because he is Pakistani that he took an instant dislike to him.
"You flipped and you assaulted him and chased him and assaulted him again. And all because you flipped because you don't like his nationality," said Inspector McGonigle.
At two stages, solicitor for the accused Mr O'Brien, sought applications from the court on the case but Judge Ciaran Liddy said that Mr Singh had a case to meet.
Coming to his decision in the case, Judge Liddy said he had listened carefully and that there are facts common to both sides but outlined the differences in both accounts from the two different sides in the case.
He said he was satisfied that the prosecution had proven their case and fully accepted their version of events, that Mr Singh "took the law into his own hands" and that a conviction is warranted.
Asked about Mr Singh's personal circumstances, Judge Liddy was told he is a 38-year-old father of two who was clearly a family man and that he runs a business in the town and does his best for his family. He has no relevant previous convictions.
The Judge added this was a vicious assault perpetrated against Mr Dalton on a night out.
He added that Mr Singh decided to take matters into his own hands and dispense the justice he felt should be dispensed.
If he had an issue with what was being said in Urdu, there were other ways of dealing with the situation rather than taking matters into his own hands, he added.
He placed the assault at the upper end of the scale of what district courts are expected to deal with before they are brought to the circuit court and one which merited a prison sentence of 12 months.
Mr Singh's legal team immediately said they would be appealing the sentence.