Racial abuser flees court before he can be sentenced
A Shrewsbury man admitted to racially abusing a police officer that he himself had called out, before absconding from court before he could be sentenced.
Thomas George Ankers, 20, of Longacre Mews, was up in Telford Magistrates Court this week accused of using racist slurs towards Pc Sadir during a disturbance at Ankers' ex-partner's address in Market Drayton.
The court heard that Ankers, who also pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and threatening his ex-partner, went to her address in Market Drayton on January 6 and began threatening her and her partner.
Prosecuting, Jenny Winzor said: "Police were called to the address and found Mr Ankers running towards the house. He shouted: "I'm going to smash your house up.""
"It became apparent that Ms McGarry had a new partner that this defendant did not particularly like.
"The police arrested him and in a search found an amount of loose cannabis on his person.
"At that point police say he became racially abusive towards the officer who attended, PC Sadir.
"The arrest and abuse was caught on bodycam.
"An officer doing his job should not have to put up with racist abuse. The victim Ms McGarry also had to put up with the defendant making threats towards her."
Ankers admitted threatening Ms McGarry and calling PC Sadir a number of racial slurs in the process of being arrested.
In court this week Ankers, who represented himself, said he initially called the police to the Market Drayton house because he suspected Ms McGarry's new partner was a drug dealer.
He pleaded guilty to one count of racially or religiously aggravated harassment or distress, one count of using threatening or abusive behaviour and one of possessing a controlled Class B drug.
Chair of the magistrate's bench Jane Basley said that because of the racist element of the crime she would request a report on Ankers from probation services.
Ankers was asked to wait in the court building for a probation officer, but could not be found and a warrant for his arrest was issued by the court.
Telford Magistrates Court and West Mercia Police declined to comment on whether Ankers was back in custody yesterday.
