A nurse from Manchester UK has just been convicted of homophobic abusing a police office as he tried to break up a racially aggravated argument.
Laura O’Shea and her boyfriend Dimitri Budiko had been drinking in December last year when Budiko got into an argument with a black cyclist who had been riding on the pavement. The disagreement became racial with O’Shea’s boyfriend impersonating a monkey to goad the cyclist.
O’Shea, a nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary intervened when police arrived on the scene, she issued verbal homophobic abuse at one officer however during the court case she pleaded not guilty to the charge of using threatening and abusive behaviour.
John Black, defending the nurse claimed the officer wouldn’t have been caused ‘harassment, alarm and distress’ by what she called him, but the Bench disagreed and chairman of the magistrates court disagreed saying “It was a serious insult.”
Budiko, who has previous convictions was convicted of a charge of racially aggravated threatening behaviour and will be sentenced at a later date. Whilst O’Shea was convicted of using threatening and abusive behaviour and given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £500 costs.
Whilst this is only a small case, it clearly sends a message that homophobic abuse will not be tolerated on the streets of Manchester and indeed elsewhere in the UK.
At last something to cheer about. It feels nice to know that people who abuse others and do not think it as insulting get punished. Abusing someone racially has almost become a norm. people do not think twice before doing such a thing. They need to be punished severely.
Racial abuse is very insulting. It shows your disrespect and mental attitude towards others. I consider it no less than a disease. It is encouraging that the court took the matter seriously.
A very good message for those people who think it is right to abuse others. The court and the police should be firm on their stand and only then such incidents will reduce in our society.