A Scottish Premiership footballer was subject to “wicked, vile and vicious” racist abuse – but retaliated by shouting homophobic comments, a court heard.
But a Sheriff decided Inverness Caledonian Thistle defender Josh Meekings had been provoked by his victim and did not give him a criminal record.
Instead, Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood imposed an absolute discharge on the 24-year-old after hearing that the soccer star had behaved himself for the last six months.
Meekings did not appear for sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday but was represented by solicitor advocate Shahid Latif.
Mr Latif told the court: “Having regard to the fact that at the time of the offence, my client was subjected to what the court accepted was racist abuse in that comments were first made to him which were wicked, vile and vicious. He was called an English cheat so I believe that the appropriate sentence should be one of granting an absolute discharge.
“This will leave him with no stain on his character and no criminal record.”
Last year, Meekings denied that on December 20, 2015, at Bridge Street, Inverness, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm in that he did shout, swear, challenge people to fight, utter offensive remarks, and behave in an aggressive manner towards police officers, an offence aggravated by sexual orientation.
At a trial last year, the Sheriff ruled that Meekings’ comment was offensive but not prompted by sexual orientation prejudice and it had been said “in the heat of the moment”.
Sgt Dale Hanson told fiscal depute Stewart MacIver: “I was on foot patrol in the High Street and saw a group outside Inverness Town House and Meekings was one of them.
“He was gesticulating aggressively towards a man. We tried to move him on but he lunged towards the man and shouted.”
Ps Hansen said he used a “derogatory term towards homosexuals”.
Questioned during the trial, Sgt Hanson said he had not heard an earlier exchange between the two men when the victim insulted Meekings based on him being English.
Sgt Hanson said: “If we had, we would have acted upon it.”
