City boss who hurled racist slurs at couple after work leaving do banned from every pub in central London

A divisional director who drunkenly hurled racist slurs at a couple has been banned from all central London pubs.

Robert Tolley, 48, had spent more than six hours at a Liverpool Street pub for a colleague’s leaving party before he headed to get the train home.

While on the escalator he bumped into Sheikh Ahmed and his partner Sayema Khanom, pushing them and abusing them.

Westminster magistrates heard he called Ms Khanom a “Kumar prostitute” and Mr Ahmed a “brown dog”, and was arrested after the incident on February 21.

Tolley is a divisional director at EC3 Brokers, which has its headquarters opposite the Gherkin.

District Judge Michael Snow sentenced the father of two to a year-long community order, which includes a ban from all pubs, bars, and clubs in central London and Wiltshire, where he lives.

“Since you cannot control yourself while you are drinking we are going to try and curb your drinking,” said the judge. He also imposed a night curfew for the next nine weeks, with exceptions for Tolley to go on work trips to Palma and Barcelona next month.

The defendant used an umbrella emblazoned with his employer’s brand outside court yesterday, when he pleaded guilty to two charges of racially aggravated common assault. He said he was “deeply ashamed” of himself.

The court heard the victims were heading for the Bishopsgate exit of Liverpool Street station when Tolley moved close to Ms Khanom. “He goes down the escalator, he pushes Mr Ahmed and Ms Khanom tries to intervene in the centre of that dispute”, said Ricky Yau, representing Tolley.

“He has a decent job in the financial services. It was a lunchtime leaving do for a colleague that started at 1pm and ended at 7.30pm.”

Judge Snow told him: “The aggravating features of this offence are that there were two victims here, 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.”

The curfew that Tolley, of Manton in Wiltshire, must abide by runs from 8.30pm and 4.30am for nine weeks.