Woman handed suspended sentence after taunting Muslim family on Blackpool beach

The Blackpool Gazette reports on the court appearance of a woman found guilty on charges of racially aggravated threatening behaviour in January for her role in harassing and abusing a Muslim family on holiday in Blackpool.

Nicole Lloyd, 23, denied three offences of racially aggravated threatening behaviour but was found guilty in abstentia at trial in January when Blackpool Magistrates Court issued a warrant for her arrest. Lloyd, and fellow group member, Natalie Wilkinson, were among a group of people who harangued the family as they walked on the beach shouting racial abuse and taunting them with cries of “ban the burqa”.

Appearing in court this week, Lloyd was sentenced to 20 weeks’ suspended for 12 months, ordered to do 150 hours unpaid community work, put on one year’s supervision and ordered to pay compensation totalling £300 to the victims plus £80 victims’
surcharge.

District Judge, Margaret McCormack, told Lloyd: “Your behaviour that day was despicable and you should be ashamed.”

Wilkinson, who appeared in court in January, admitted the three charges of racially aggravated threatening behaviour and disorder and was sent for sentencing to Preston Crown Court because she was already serving a suspended sentence.