A tanked-up yob who shouted hateful terrorist slogans at passengers on a Paisley train has been hammered with a massive fine.
Christopher Glen, 36, left travellers on a Glasgow Central to Paisley Gilmour Street service terrified with his repeated bawling out of vile sectarian boasts.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard Glen kept shouting “Up the RA,” and boasted to other people that he was “off his f****** head” on the evening of June 21, 2018.
Procurator fiscal depute Kirsten Brierley said Glen boarded the service with other passengers at Central Station at around 8.30pm, where it was noticed he was “heavily under the influence”.
Ms Brierley said: “The accused made his way into the carriage and sat down next to another passenger.
“Soon into the journey he began shouting ‘Up the RA,’ and continued shouting that he was ‘off his f****** head’.
“Glen then stood up and appeared to address passengers, where he continued to shout ‘Up the RA’ and ‘I am off my f****** head’.”
The court heard a ticket examiner heard Glen’s sectarian chants and approached him as she was becoming aware of other passengers being alarmed at his behaviour.
She noticed he was drunk and unsteady on his feet as he was standing up from his seat.
The fiscal added: “He was continuing to chant ‘Up the RA,’ when she asked him to stop it.
“He apologised and sat down. She asked him for his ticket.
“He replied, ‘I have got a f****** pass. I am staff.’
“The ticket inspector thought he was making no sense.
“He then began to chant ‘Up the RA’ again.
“She gave him the opportunity to buy a ticket, but he refused, and she told him she was contacting police.”
In court this week, Glen, of Ross Street, Ayr, pleaded guilty to a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner in that he repeatedly shouted, swore and uttered sectarian remarks.
Defence Waqqas Ashraf said his client had been at a leaving do and had “far too much to drink” before getting the train
home.
He said: “He had consumed a significant amount of alcohol and regrettably he recollects very little of the offending.
“He is extremely embarrassed about this incident and completely regrets the matter.
“An experience that he does not wish ever to happen again.”
He told the court Glen, who works full time in sales, has a very limited criminal record and has not been in trouble since the evening in question.
Sheriff Tom McCartney told him: “First of all, alcohol is never an excuse for threatening and abusive behaviour.
“One might understand somebody who has had too much to drink making a bit of noise.
“What is hard to understand in the context of alcohol is the religious prejudice demonstrated by what was shouted.
“Alcohol can never be an excuse for that.”
He added rail passengers deserve to travel safely and quietly and not be confronted by this kind of behaviour.
He handed Glen a £1,200 fine, reduced from £1,600 because of his guilty plea.
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