Peterborough man sentenced after being caught on camera making racially abusive comments to new neighbour

Paul Jones, 59, was in the communal garden area of his home in Lilac Avenue, Dogsthorpe, on 16 May last year (2021) when his new neighbour struck up a conversation.

Jones responded by saying, “go back to your ******* country, look at your colour”, at which point the victim began recording on his mobile phone due to feeling scared Jones may become violent towards him.

Jones continued to be verbally aggressive, making more racial slurs, before eventually leaving the area after a neighbour intervened.

The incident was reported to police and investigated by the local neighbourhood policing team (NPT) who interviewed Jones.

He admitted being agitated but did not intend for his comments to be racially abusive. However, he later realised the extent of the abuse and showed remorse for his actions.

Jones was charged with causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, which he admitted at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Friday (25 February).

He was sentenced to 80 hours of unpaid work, must wear an electronic tag and is now subject to a seven-week curfew between 7pm and 7am.

Detective Sergeant Sarah Phillips, from the eastern Peterborough NPT, said: “We have absolutely no tolerance of this kind of behaviour within our communities. Where there are viable lines of enquiry we will always investigate and take action.

“I would urge anyone who is subjected to such abuse to make a report to us.”