An alcoholic threatened an Asian family with a shovel after a torrent of racial slurs

[ad_1]

An alcoholic Darlington man threatened an Asian family with a shovel after a torrent of racial slurs. (Picture: Agency)

An alcoholic Darlington who hurled despicable racist abuse at an Asian family before threatening the couple with a shovel avoided immediate jail time.

Christopher Barker got angry when asked why he was talking to three young children and started raving and raving at their mother and father.

The 52-year-old caused damage to the family’s door before heading to their neighboring house, grabbing a shovel and threatening to hit them with it, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said Barker used several racial slurs and told them they shouldn’t be in this country during his racist outburst on June 7 last year.

Read more: Trawl of River Tees was part of search for missing Andrew Stones body

She said: He became aggressive and started yelling at them and seemed inebriated. They feared he would attack them, so they started closing the door on him.

They managed to half close him before he started hitting him, all three kids were very upset at this point.

The court heard how the woman called the police before Barker stormed out of her backyard waving a shovel over her head and launching into another vile and racist tirade.

In a victim impact statement, the family said Barker’s racist behavior left them disgusted and fearful he would come back and attack them.

Barker, of Thornton Street, pleaded guilty to causing racially aggravated alarm and distress.

Mitigating Emma Williams said her client had a long-standing drinking problem and had moved from the area where the incident took place.

She added: He acted incredibly stupid and was under the influence of alcohol. He doesn’t remember saying these things but agrees to say them.

Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced Barker to ten weeks in prison suspended for 12 months for the heinous, gross and racist abuse he inflicted on the family.

Read next:

The story continues

He said: You support him, not only with words, but with the shovel you had brought from your house; waving and threatening them with and shouting more racial slurs.

I accept that you were drunk and I accept that you have a problem with alcohol but there is no place in society for this behavior.

Barker was also ordered to attend 15 days of rehabilitation activities, perform 60 hours of unpaid labor and pay $150 in damages to the door.

[ad_2]