Two Royal Navy sailors in court over allegations of racist abuse

The Plymouth Herald reports on the court appearance of two Royal Navy sailors who are accused of racially abusing two men as they left an Islamic centre in Plymouth in the early hours on 12 June.

The incident, outside the Plymouth Islamic Education Trust (Piety) in Greenbank Avenue occurred during the month of Ramadan.

Mark Butler, 47, and Barry O’Neill, 45 allegedly insulted two men as they left the centre after a meeting. Appearing at Plymouth Crown Court this week, Butler and O’Neill denied using racially aggravated threatening behaviour.

Prosecutor Mike Brown told the court the men “caused alarm and distress to the strangers based on their presumed membership of the Pakistani race.”

Judge Paul Darlow set down a two or three-day trial starting on February 7 next year.

Butler and O’Neill were released on conditional bail and ordered not to go within 100 metres of the centre.