Teenager handed youth referral order for repeat racist abuse incidents

Categories: Latest News
Thursday November 10 2016
The Wisbech Standard reports on the court appearance of a teenager on charges of racially aggravated harassment after he used words “referencing religion” to racially abuse a driver.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was being driven with a companion to Wisbech to do some shopping on 1 April 2016.
Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court heard that a discussion was started about Islam and the teenager “swore at the driver and used words “referencing his religion” to racially abuse him.”
In a victim statement, read to the court by prosecutor Paul Brown, the victim said: “He’s made me feel uncomfortable and upset. What worries me is that I may not be the last person that he says that to.”
The court heard that the victim had been abused by the teenager on a previous occasion, on 23 March.
The teenager admitted two charges of using racially abusive language.
Acting for the teenager, solicitor David Chappell told the court that his client knew the words were unacceptable but “found himself drawn to make remarks just for the sake of it”.
Chairman of the bench, Susan Painter, sentencing the teenager told him: “You won’t be able to maintain that kind of behaviour. This was really quite unpleasant.”
The teenager was given a nine-month youth referral order where he will work on his behaviour with the Youth Offending Service and was ordered to pay a £50 victim surcharge.