A Harborne man’s attempt at a first date turned into a courtroom ordeal after he was convicted of burglary for taking wedding dresses from another guest’s hotel room. Daljeet Dullay, 49, of Bantock Way, Harborne, met a woman he connected with on social media at a London hotel. The evening took a troubling turn when, after mistakenly entering the wrong room, he took £600 worth of Asian-style wedding dresses on impulse.
The incident occurred on February 7 this year. Dullay claimed that both he and his date had “forgotten” their room number, and their key card mistakenly granted access to the wrong room. Upon realizing the error, he impulsively decided to take the dresses. The dresses were later returned after the hotel manager alerted the police following a report of a break-in caught on CCTV.
When police arrived, the woman whose dresses were taken confirmed what had happened. Dullay was subsequently arrested, but during the arrest, he assaulted one of the officers by kicking out. In addition, he pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment from a separate incident in October, where he used a racial slur against an officer.
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At Birmingham Magistrates' Court on June 16, Dullay admitted to burglary, assaulting a constable, and racially aggravated harassment. For these offenses, he was sentenced to a one-year community order and ordered to pay £250 in compensation to the two affected officers.
The prosecutor detailed the sequence of events, describing how Dullay and his date initially accessed the wrong room with their key card and how he came back to the hotel to return the dresses on request. Despite his initial protestations of innocence, he eventually pleaded guilty to kicking out at the officer.
Dullay’s solicitor explained that his client was embarrassed by the incident, particularly as it marred what was meant to be a promising first date. The solicitor described the burglary as an impulsive act rather than premeditated, emphasizing Dullay’s personal apologies to the officers involved. Previous convictions, including a 2022 public order offense, were noted during sentencing.
The case highlights the unexpected consequences of an unfortunate mistake compounded by poor choices and subsequent violent behavior.