A man who was racially abusive towards his neighbour in Worthing last year has been sentenced.
Police said Sean Cannon, 31, of Warren Road, Worthing, admitted to racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence when he appeared at Worthing Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (March 2).
Cannon was in his hot tub when he started shouting racial abuse towards his neighbour in the early hours of September 22, 2020.
According to officers, he had also sent threatening messages prior to the incident.
Cannon then took to banging on his neighbour’s front door, continuing to shout racial abuse.
Police were called and attended the scene, where they arrested Cannon.
At court, Cannon was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, which was uplifted by 60 hours because of the racial element of the offence.
The court also ordered that Sean pay £100 in compensation to the victim, a victim surcharge of £95 and costs of £85.
Following sentencing, the victim said:
“I want to thank the police for their prompt and professional response, which meant they were able to witness some of the racial abuse that my family and I were subjected to.
“We have lived in our home for 18 years, and this incident made us feel unsafe. I hope this case encourages other people who have suffered hate crime to report it to the police.”
Sergeant Peter Allan, from the Adur, Worthing and Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
"I am pleased the court acted to increase the sentence, to reflect the racial nature of Sean Cannon’s behaviour.
“I hope this case sends out a clear message that we will take a robust approach to those who perpetrate behaviour that can have an impact on people, for nothing more than being who they are.
“I also hope the sentence will encourage victims of hate crime to report such behaviour to the police. We appreciate how difficult it can be for victims and witnesses to give evidence, but we will support them throughout the process."
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