A man who assaulted two takeaway workers in a racially motivated attack has been spared jail at Inverness Sheriff Court.
James Carroll challenged workers at the Spicy Spot in Grant Street to a fight and made remarks about them appearing to come from a “foreign place” before telling them to “go back”.
He told witnesses the men were “probably skinning camels around the back” before pushing the men.
Carroll, 32, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a single charge of assaulting the retail workers on July 26 of last year.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver told the court it was around 9.30pm when Carroll entered the premises.
She said: “He has begun shouting and swearing aggressively. He was repeatedly asked to stop doing this and to leave but has refused.”
The court heard that Carroll was stating that he wanted to fight people and was asking the workers repeatedly to hit him.
Man told Inverness takeaway staff to ‘go back’ to ‘foreign country’
“He made remarks about them, appearing to come from a foreign country or place and that they should go back there,” Ms Silver said.
Witnesses to the incident reported Carroll making racial remarks including stating that the two staff members were “probably skinning camels round the back.”
When he pushed the workers on the body a witness called police who attended at the scene.
Soclitor Marc Dickson, for Carroll, told Sheriff Eilish MacDonald that his client suffers from schizoaffective disorder “from time to time causing him to behave impulsively”.
‘Extremely unpleasant’
He said: “This seems to be one of those episodes.”
Mr Dickson said Carroll “deeply regrets” the incident and had not taken any alcohol or illicit substances since.
He added: “He wants to take this very public opportunity to apologise.”
Handing down a fine of £580 Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told Carroll, of Millerton View, Inverness: “This was an extremely unpleasant way for you to behave and for these two gentlemen to experience.”
