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Man fined £300 for racist tirade on bus

Man fined £300 for racist tirade on bus

Categories: Latest News

Tuesday September 23 2014

The Daily Record, the Daily Mirror and the Morning Star report on the fine imposed upon a man who subjected two Asian men to a racist tirade on public transport in Glasgow in March 2013.

Footage of the incident showed Stuart McIlreavy, 49, staring threateningly at two men before approaching them and shouting and swearing.

After listening to a conversation between the two Asian men, he said “What, f*** you.”

McIlreavy added: “My brother just got blown up by an IED, ya p**** – anything to do with you?” He’s then seen shouting, “Shut your f****** face” and, “F****** stab you in the neck like a f****** chicken.”

Out of view of the camera, McIlreavy walks towards the back of the bus and says: “Thank God somebody gave you freedom of speech.

“My older brother died because of you, f****** lucky b******.”

McIlreavy then sat down and as the men got up to leave, he shouted: “F****** rats. Look at them.”

McIlreavy was arrested after the Sunday Mail published the footage, recorded on a phone, in February.

Glasgow Sheriff Court was told the offence was considered as racially aggravated. The defence lawyer Gerry Devaney also confirmed McIlreavy’s claim that his brother died in Afghanistan was a lie.

McIlreavy pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and threatening two men.

Although the Daily Record and Daily Mirror note that he could have been jailed for up to 12 months, given the seriousness of racially aggravated hate crime, he was fined £300 with the option to pay off at a rate of £40 a month.

Robina Qureshi, executive director of Positive Action In Housing stated “A £300 fine is derisory and you have to ask if it’s enough to deter racists from carrying out future attacks.

“The courts need to look at all sentencing powers available to them, including prison.”

Whether the courts will take heed remains to be seen. It was only last week that another man was given a meagre fine of £150 after hurling racist abuse outside a mosque.

The papers further observe that there were more than 4, 000 racially aggravated hate crimes in Scotland in 2013. And a Law Commission report into incitement legislation observed that sentencing options available to courts for crimes deemed racially or religiously aggravated were not being sufficiently used to deter others.

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