A mother has described how her three young children were left “traumatised and petrified” after being racially abused at their family restaurant in Forfar, Angus. Holly Gentles, 29, said her children, aged nine, seven, and three, were called racial slurs and told they “weren’t Scottish” by a man during the incident at Dash of Bari on East High Street on Saturday, 11 July 2026.
Altercation Caught on CCTV
The altercation, which was captured on the restaurant’s CCTV, began when a man described as “highly intoxicated” lunged at a staff member before turning on the children. Holly, who lives in Dundee with her husband Syed Himel, 34, said she had left the restaurant to run an errand when a waitress messaged her about the disturbance. The man was asked to stop swearing and calm down as he was scaring the children, but instead he shouted racial abuse at them.
When Himel asked the individual to leave, he claims he was kicked, punched, spat at, and called a “f****** P***”. Once outside, the attacker continued to shout abuse, lash out, and kick Himel before allegedly spitting at the business owner. Holly said: “The kids are traumatised and petrified to go back to the restaurant, which we only opened in December and have put our hearts and soul into.”
Family Left Heartbroken
Holly described the children—Fynn, Amaya, and Malyk—as a “mess” since the incident, but said the support of locals has helped them cope. She has passed the CCTV footage to Police Scotland. “So many people have come in to see us and offered support,” she added. “I gave police the video and I’m waiting to see what happens next.”
Holly said: “He was asked not to swear and calm down as he was scaring our young children. He then turned and shouted racial abuse at the kids. This is when Himel told him to leave the premises. Then he was calling Himel every racial cheap shot you can think of. Himel finally got him out the front door. We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in our restaurant. The important thing is our kids are safe.”
Police Charge Man
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 5.10pm on Saturday, 11 July, 2026, officers received a report of an assault and racial abuse at a premises on East High Street, Forfar. A 37-year-old man has been charged in connection.” The family now awaits the outcome of the police investigation while trying to rebuild their sense of security.
