Trial date put back for Nottingham restaurateur accused of GBH at London hotel

The trial of a Nottingham restaurateur charged with GBH on a woman at a five-star London hotel has been moved back. David Perkins, managing director of Perkins Restaurants, was told he will now face trial for the allegation on December 8, next year, two months later than the initial date of September 8 which was set at a previous hearing.

On Monday, December 16, the 45-year-old, of West Bridgford, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court where his legal team’s application to have the charge dismissed was rejected by Judge Michael Auty KC.

The defendant, of Manvers Road, is alleged to have committed the offence at Sea Containers Mondrian Hotel, in Upper Ground, on the capital’s South Bank, in April, 2016.

He is yet to enter any plea to the single charge.

Handing him bail on the condition he does not contact the alleged victim directly or indirectly, Handing him bail, Judge Auty said: “You will next appear in court on February 1 where you will be expected to enter your plea and the trial, which as a time estimate of five-to-seven days, will now take place on December 8. There will be a pre-trail review hearing ahead of that on October 24, next year.”

The defendant is the managing director of family-owned Perkins Bar and Bistro, in Station Road, Plumtree, which used to be the former Plumtree railway station and which was converted to a restaurant in the 1980s by the defendant’s parents. The company was passed on to the defendant and his brother and the site in Plumtree also includes a wedding venue called the Carriage Hall.

The company also owns the tapas bars Escabeche, in Bridgford Road, West Bridgford and Baresca, in Byard Lane, in the city centre.