A man arrested for hurling racist abuse at a black police officer sang ‘Ku Klux Klan’ to him as he was led into the police station, Aldershot magistrates heard.

The court was told how John Brazil racially abused Pc Simon Monga in Aldershot on August 8.

Ghislaine Watson-Hopkin-son, prosecuting, said the defendant — who admitted racial hatred and intentionally using words that would cause alarm or harassment — became abusive after Pc Monga aproached him following a tip-off from a member of the public.

She said Brazil first racially abused the officer when he tried to order the policeman to pick up Brazil’s keys.

Miss Watson-Hopkinson said: “Pc Monga told the defendant he was going to arrest him for racially aggravated public disorder and began cautioning him. Brazil interrupted him and asked him why he was being arrested.”

She added that Brazil asked Pc Monga if it was because he had racially abused him.

She said Brazil then accused Pc Monga of making a deroga-tory comment towards him suggesting he was a “pikey”, before launching into a torrent of racial abuse, calling the officer a “nigger” and a “black bastard”.

Another officer then arrived on the scene and told the 29-year-old to calm down.

He swore at the second offi-cer and a third who later arrived on the scene and insulted them both.

Magistrates heard how the defendant, of Parsons Close, Aldershot, kicked the door of the police car and banged his head twice on the cage when he was arrested.

Miss Watson-Hopkinson said: “He continued to racially abuse Pc Monga, saying the same words and other extremely offensive things.

“When he got to the police station he started singing ‘Ku Klux Klan’ many times and other offensive things in the same vein.

“Pc Monga said he felt deeply troubled by the words and said that someone would be so abusive to him for simply doing his job is a horrendously alien concept to him and made him feel very uncomfortable.”

Heather Monk, defending, said Brazil, who committed the offence while serving an 18-month community order with supervision and a curfew for a public order conviction he received in March this year, could not remember much about the incident because he had drunk a bottle of vodka.

She said the unemployed defendant, who receives £86 a week in income support, should get credit for his early apology to police during inter-view and his guilty plea.

Miss Monk said: “Clearly, the language and words used are very regrettable.

“At the time when this happened — and it is no excuse whatsoever — he was in drink.
 
“He was very drunk on arrest and did not understand why he was being arrested.
 
“There was some suggestion of a missed date somewhere.

“He was grabbed from behind, which made him agitated, and this is why he became abusive.

“He cannot remember exactly what he said but he does remember calling Pc Monga ‘a black something’.”

Miss Monk said Brazil accepted police statements about the incident because there were three officers present, although two of them did not hear much of it.

She said he was “upset” by the statements and wanted to apologise to all concerned, and pointed out how there was no degree of premeditation to the attack.

The court heard Brazil was on anti-depressants and rec-eived monthly medical reviews for his condition.

Miss Monk added: “The defendant arrived in custody at 11.45pm so the incident must have been quite late at night.

“I cannot imagine there were going to be thousands of people around. It happened over a short period of time.

“They are awful things to say but I am not going to say it was the first time a police officer has heard it.

“He is a professional and they are trained. Clearly, he did not ask for that sort of abuse, but it is a matter for the court what impact it will have on the police officer.”

The magistrates ordered pre-sentence reports and Brazil was bailed until his sentencing hearing on November 4.

After the hearing, Rushmoor’s District Commander, Ch Insp Norman Mellors, said: “This case highlights the difficult conditions police officers can face while trying to serve the public.

“Hampshire Constabulary has a policy of investigating all hate crimes to the highest possible standards.

“We are committed to bringing all offenders who behave in this way to justice, irrespective of their gender, race, faith, sexuality, occupation or marital status.”