Businessman hurled religious abuse at pub worker who just had a tan from holiday

Ben Lynch

Published March 17, 2025 3:06pm Updated March 18, 2025 11:43am

Catherine Sayer, left and Nathan Sayer — Catherine and Nathan Sayer were both found guilty of assault and religiously aggravated harassment (Credit: Solent)

An arrogant couple have been given a severe telling off by a judge over their behaviour during their trial for attacking bar staff.

Nathan and Catherine Sayer went for Christmas dinner with friends from a horse riding club at the New Inn in Hook, Hampshire, in December 2023.

At that meal they threw food and Christmas crackers before getting angry when they were told they could have no more drinks after closing tie.

This led to an altercation so the pub’s owner, Laura Faulkner, and three staff ushered them out. Mrs Sayer then grabbed Laura’s shirt and swore at her while hitting Laura’s husband Tom around the head when he started to film what was happening.

Mr Sayer turned his anger on a member of staff, spouting religious abuse including calling him Mustafa and Sheikh Mohammed. It later emerged that the worker had a tan after returning from a trip to Australia.

The Sayers tried to play the victim, accusing the staff of forming a lynch mob and pushing them around like a bowling ball.

Mr Sayer, a company director, told the court that he had ‘acted like a man’ and accused the landlord of acting like the ‘Instagram police’.

He said: ‘They have taken some modern narrative and tried to force it. It was just random names. I didn’t know the origins of Mustafa.’

Nathan Sayer outside Basingstoke Magistrates' Court — Nathan Sayer outside Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court (Picture: Andrew Croft/Solent News)

However, judge Stephen Apted took a dim view of their arrogance and inability to accept responsibility.

He interrupted their sentencing hearing to tell them to stop laughing during prosecutor Ryan Seneviratne’s summing up.

He said: ‘I don’t know why you two sit there laughing, shaking your heads.

‘You two have behaved in this way throughout this trial, I simply don’t understand why you sit laughing and shaking your heads at what you hear.

‘You fail to understand and appreciate how appalling and disgraceful your behaviour was.’

Following the incident, Mrs Sayer lost her job and Mr Sayer’s business was affected. Defending lawyer Alphonsus Doran said they have been ‘effectively ostracised’.

They were both ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service and fined £2,754 between them.

Metro has approached pub staff for comment.