Has This Londoner Experienced The Worst First Date, Ever?

Quick question: Do you expect the person you are on a date with to pay for everything? And if you do, would you say to your date upfront that that is your expectation? In the case of IT professional Kishore Nimmala, it might have proven helpful. Instead, Nimmala has landed a £1,200 legal bill and narrowly escaped conviction — all on a date that went very, very wrong.

In February, Nimmala used online dating service Zoosk to connect with Fakhara Sultana. The two agreed to meet at the Ruby Blue Bar in Leicester Square for a date and after two rounds of drinks, bought by Nimmala, he asked Sultana if she would buy the next round. She said she hadn't brought any money with her as she assumed he would pay for the evening. Things between the two become extremely heated and resulted in Sultana leaving the restaurant with Nimmala storming after her and grabbing her blackberry to "get her attention." This action is what resulted in his arrest and the end of the of their date. Oh dear.

In The Evening Standard, Nimmala explains his actions: "She said we would drink and dance all night, but she wanted me to pay for everything and I didn’t have enough cash to buy more drinks so she got upset. We had a heated argument. She took my money, I took her phone, but I never wanted to steal her phone and keep it. I just did it to get her attention and to get some money back." Yikes. Probably not the best move, but also not quite cause for arrest, in our minds. But, one thing is clear (if a bit dramatized) here. When it comes to first dates, money is always a bit of a hot potato, and even more so when your date is of the Internet variety. Apart from the facts gleaned from your date's profile, you just don't know the person and their belief systems at all. And unless you've communicated what your expectations of the night are, financial or otherwise, things are bound to get confusing. None of this justifies Nimmala's actions towards his date, though. But, what do you think? Can expecting your date to pay for a night of drinks really be equated with theft? Feels like a stretch, no? (The Evening Standard)