Sutton man racially assaulted stallholder after posting racist Facebook threats
A Sutton man who racially abused and assaulted a stallholder had previously been cautioned for posting violent racist threats on social media, a court has heard.
Gareth Shelton insulted the man as he walked through the Idlewells shopping centre on March 1, said prosecutor Katherine Wilson.
When his victim called after him, "What did you say?" Shelton returned and repeated the insult before lunging forward and trying to grab his neck.
His victim pushed him backwards and Shelton fell to the floor. Another stall holder intervened.
In a statement, Shelton's victim said he had been happy after returning to work from holiday but is now "constantly on edge and worried" as he works alone on the stall.
Shelton later told police he had suffered a bereavement and the breakdown of a relationship, but didn't recall hurling the abuse as he was intoxicated.
The court heard he was cautioned for posting violent racist threats on Facebook in June 2020 when he also claimed he was drunk.
Sulma Mansuri, mitigating, said he deserved full credit for his guilty plea and was remorseful for what happened.
There have been problems between the two as Shelton is the cousin of his victim’s ex-partner, she said. His victim had called Shelton a “fat b******” some weeks earlier.
“There is a difference between someone using racist words and being a racist,” Ms Mansuri said. “I find it right and correct that Mr Shelton is punished. But sometimes these words are a cheap and easy way of insulting someone. These words should be expunged from his vocabulary.”
She said work recommended by the probation service to address his thinking skills and alcohol problems would help him.
“He has reached the point where he realises he shouldn’t drink alcohol,” she said, adding he has only drunk once since the incident.
Shelton, aged 34, of Queen Street, Sutton, admitted racially-aggravated common assault when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on August 27.
On Thursday, he received a 12-month community order with a 120-day alcohol abstinence and monitoring requirement and 15 rehabilitation days. He was fined £400 with a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.
The presiding magistrate told him: “"You say you're not racist and yet you put something on Facebook that is abhorrent. I’m disgusted with you."