Man who took his date's phone after she refused to pay for half the drinks is cleared of theft because he said he never intended to keep the device



Kishore Nimmala was furious when he discovered his date had no cash



The 32-year-old spent £54 on two rounds of drinks at The Ruby Blue bar

Nimmala grabbed her phone but said he never intended to keep it



A jury cleared Nimmala of theft following a three-day trial



Cleared: Kishore Nimmala was cleared of theft today after his first date with Fakhara Sultana which went wrong

An IT worker accused of snatching a woman’s mobile phone on their first date to ‘teach her a lesson’ when she refused to pay half of the drinks bill was cleared of theft today.

Kishore Nimmala, 32, was said to be furious after Fakhara Sultana told him she had no cash during a romantic rendezvous at the Ruby Blue Bar in Leicester Square.

Nimmala spent £54 on two rounds of drinks before insisting she should contribute, Southwark Crown Court heard.

But Ms Sultana, who met Nimmala on dating website Zoosk, assumed that he would be coughing up the cash for everything during their date.

Jurors heard she cut the evening short after Nimmala became agitated, but he was said to have pestered her for cash as she walked to Charing Cross Tube station.

He was then alleged to have seized her white Blackberry mobile phone on February 15 this year.

But a jury cleared Nimmala of theft after deliberating for just 53 minutes following a three-day trial

Nimmala said he took Ms Sultana’s phone thinking she would give him £25, but insisted he never intended to keep the device.



Helen Thomas, prosecuting, previously told the court: 'This case is about a first date that goes badly wrong.

'Ms Sultana informed to defendant that she didn’t have any money with her and that she had assumed that he would be paying for the evening.

'At that point the defendant became angry and so their evening together came to an abrupt close.'

Scene: The Ruby Blue Lounge in Leicester Square where Kishore Nimmala went on a first date with Fakhara Sultana

The couple then made their way to Charing Cross station with Nimmala allegedly badgering his date for her share of the cash on the way.

The court heard that when Ms Sultana took her phone from her bag, Nimmala 'grabbed it' and ran.

Two police officers, who were on Charing Cross Road, joined the chase and caught up with Nimmala on St Martin’s Lane before they witnessed him throw the phone away.

The court heard that Nimmala does not deny taking the phone without permission, but that the issue is whether or not he did so dishonestly and with the intention to permanently deprive her of the device.



Nimmala, of Leyton, east London, denied theft.



Hearing: Nimmala denied one count of theft at Southwark Crown Court