Jail for Mansfield race threats man who was 'absolutely drunk out of his mind'

A Mansfield man who shouted racist abuse and threatened families in the town centre was 'absolutely drunk out of his mind' and high on mamba, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

Martin Neill hurled racist abuse at the Turkish owner of a chicken takeaway, on Rock Valley, at 4pm, on July 25, despite being banned from the premises.

And a shop assistant was left “shaken and scared” after Neill told him: “I know what you look like. I will f****** knock you out with my flip-flop.”

Prosecutor Robert Carr said Neill claimed to have done “16 weeks in prison” and shouted at the owner: “You wait for what’s coming for you. You can call who you want - we’ll be coming back for you.”

The court heard the restraining order, which he had “some difficulty coming to terms with” had been imposed after Neill was convicted of being abusive towards the man after a trial.

He told an officer to f*** off, after initially apologising for shouting and swearing, and later punched the window of Costa Coffee, on Westgate, on July 22.

A young family were sitting outside and Neill shouted: “I will end your world.”

He argued with a police officer, who asked him to move on from where he was sitting on Church Street, and then began shouting and swearing, at 4pm, on July 14.

He was arrested after he made threats to the officer while a family was present.

Debra Bell, mitigating, said Neill’s record was “unenviable”, but until last year his stealing had been linked to heroin addiction.

She said: “It seems to me that he has swapped heroin for alcohol. But unfortunately the alcohol makes him behave in this appalling way. When he sees it around he will take mamba.

“He was absolutely drunk out of his mind. It doesn’t justify what he’s done, except to say that he didn’t know what he was doing.

“He is just a nuisance and he needs to deal with the issues that are making him a nuisance.”

The court heard his probation officer recommended custody because Neill was deemed “unmanagable in the community”, and that would give him a chance to detox.

Neill, 43, of Slant Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse, admitted three counts of threatening behaviour, racially aggravated disorderly behaviour, and breaching a restraining order, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.

He was jailed for 26 weeks and ordered to pay a £115 government surcharge.