Residents will be relieved that this frightening incident at Rokka Bar and Grill in Culcheth has now reached court, although the idea of tidying up after a rampage is hardly a defence strategy anyone should try at home.
Faruk Gumus, 59, of Bury New Road in Prestwich, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, August 19, after the incident at the restaurant on Warrington Road, Culcheth, on October 27 last year.
Prosecutor Emily Land told the court that two men were inside Rokka Bar and Grill when Gumus approached them. He began screaming and shouting before picking up a steak knife from a nearby table.
CCTV footage showed Gumus holding one of the men with one hand while gripping the knife in the other, with his arm extended behind him. He made threats before dropping the knife shortly afterwards. He then flipped a table, smashed cups and threw chairs while continuing to shout at the men.
The ordeal lasted around five minutes. Gumus paced around the restaurant, walked away and then returned to continue shouting. In a strikingly unusual moment, he later stacked some of the chairs he had thrown and helped the men tidy up, speaking to them calmly. That bizarre contrast does not erase the fear or damage caused, but it was noted by the court.
A victim impact statement read by Emily Land said one of the men felt stressed, no longer felt safe and feared Gumus might return. He also suffered minor financial loss because of the damage. Those are not minor consequences for the people involved, whatever happened during the clean-up.
Defending, Jim Smith told the court that character references showing a different side to Gumus had been submitted. The court also heard that Gumus felt remorse and had been described by the probation service as assiduous and intelligent.
Judge Ian Unsworth accepted that Gumus was remorseful and highlighted the strikingly unusual fact that he helped tidy up during the incident. The judge said commercial and business pressures had contributed to what happened, but added that Gumus was facing up to his wrongdoing and taking positive steps to address his behaviour.
Gumus was given a 12-month community order and must complete 160 hours of unpaid work. A five-year restraining order was also imposed to protect both victims.
For Culcheth, the main point is straightforward: restaurants should be places for dinner, not scenes of intimidation and destruction. The court has recognised the remorse and the odd attempt to repair the immediate mess, but the lasting impact on those threatened matters considerably more than a few chairs being put back.