AN ANGRY customer who racially abused the manager of a Domino’s pizza shop in Carlisle wept as his court case got underway, telling the judge: “I was drunk.”

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Tim Evans described how 27-year-old David Gheorghe should have been sentenced in 2019 for the offence but he missed the sentence hearing, having returned to Romania to get married.

The defendant had admitted racially aggravated harassment.

Outlining the offence, Mr Evans said it happened on October, 2018, after staff at the Domino's Pizza shop in London Road received a telephone order, which was later taken to the Hilltop Hotel in the city.

“When the delivery driver arrived, he was unable to make contact with the individual who’d placed the order,” said Mr Evans.

As a consequence, the delivery worker returned to the shop.

Later, the defendant called the shop and the manager explained what had happened.  “The defendant became angry and called the manager stupid,” said Mr Evans. Gheorghe also made an offensive remark about the victim’s sister and mother.

The manager responded by hanging up.

A few minutes later, just after 11pm, two men arrived at the shop, one of them the defendant, to collect their order. Gheorghe asked the manager what had gone wrong with his  failed meal delivery.

“She explained, saying she was the manager but he became more and more angry, calling her a ‘stupid white girl,” said Mr Evans. He repeated the earlier offensive comment about her mother and sister.

He also made a “spitting motion” towards her, saying he would spit at her. A fellow employee intervened, asking the defendant to leave. Gheorghe responded with yet more aggression, suggesting they go outside to fight.

After five minutes, the two men left.

When interviewed by the police, Gheorghe said he had been drunk and lost his temper. He could not remember his “colourful language.” The court heard that Gheorghe has eight previous offences on his record, including theft and a commercial burglary.

Stephen Garbett, defending, said the defendant was ashamed of his behaviour. 

“He doesn’t make any excuses,” said the lawyer. Explaining Gheorghe’s failure to attend court in 2019, Mr Garbett said: “He got married in Romania and then returned." He gave the case little thought after returning to the UK and now worked with his uncle and cousin in a scrap metal business.

“He has not been in any other trouble since [the offence],” added the lawyer.

Recorder Ciaran Rankin told the defendant that his offence, while short-lived, was ”particularly  unpleasant.” It was committed while Gheorghe, of Brancaster Road, Inford, was under the influence of alcohol.

Afterwards, he had "put his head in the sand".

The judge jailed Gheorghe, who has been in custody for four weeks, for 16 weeks.

The defendant wept throughout much of the hearing, telling the judge that he was drunk and adding: "I'm sorry."