News / Community work for racist abuse
A LERWICK man who racially abused staff and threatened to burn down a chip shop while drunk has been ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work for the community.
Only last year 29 year old Owen Haughian was fined £500 for a racially aggravated breach of the peace after he called a hairdresser in Scalloway “a Paki faggot”.
In Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday Haughian was sentenced for two new racially motivated verbal assaults.
In the first incident on 20 July he called staff at Lerwick’s Harbour Chip Shop “Pakis” and threatened to burn the building down.
He also admitted a breach of the peace that day at Lerwick police station and in an ambulance on his way to the Gilbert Bain Hospital after he threw a bowl and spat on the floor.
Haughian pled guilty to more racial abuse on 20 August when he called a woman working at Lerwick’s Royal British Legion “a fucking Paki”.
Sheriff Philip Mann said the most recent incident was particularly bizarre.
“Making a racial remark relating to someone who is not even of that racial origin seems to be a bit odd,” he said.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said that the curfew his client had been under since his arrest in August had done him good, allowing him to concentrate on his job as a fish worker.
Since then a psychiatric report had been prepared, but it shed no light on the reasons behind his behaviour, Allan said, other than he needed help with alcohol abuse and his grief over his mother’s recent death.
Ordering him to carry out 120 hours of community work, the sheriff also called for Haughian to be supervised for nine months and to follow recommendations to attend alcohol and bereavement counselling if asked to do so.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -
- Remove non-local ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
