Community order after racist abuse at Telford shop
A man who racially abused a Telford shopkeeper who refused to serve him alcohol has been ordered to complete a community order.
Richard Anthony Coombes has also been given an overnight curfew after he made racial slurs towards the owner of Dhillon's Convenience Store in Highley.
Shop owner Jasvinder Dhillon refused to serve Coombes on December 30 last year after he came in to the store to buy alcohol as he appeared to already be drunk.
Coombes used clenched fists to bang on the desk before leaving the shop.
He returned 15 minutes later where he made another attempt to purchase alcohol but was refused service again for his earlier behaviour.
He used further racist and abusive language towards Mr Dhillon, before being arrested by police.
Coombes, of Gresham Road, Worcester, admitted two charges of using racially aggravated words last year.
Mr Shaun Davies, for Coombes, said the 49-year-old was not a racist but accepted that he had used racist language in the incident.
He said that Coombes had suffered with illness which had meant he was no longer able to work and had been using alcohol to cope with his problems.
But Telford Magistrates Court heard yesterday that since the incident he had completely stopped drinking. Mr Davies said: "The defendant says he is not a racist but he accepts the words he used on this occasion were racially motivated."
The case had been adjourned from a hearing in January to allow for a pre-sentence report to be made.
That hearing heard he had been in Highley to visit his parents for Christmas and they were ashamed of his behaviour.
Coombes was also ordered to pay court costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £60.
