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Man fined for racial insults at shop staff

5/12/2001

THE WAR which rages in Afganistan made its mark on Macclesfield when a black man told Asian food shop staff: "I don't like you Pakistanis - you're Bin Laden's cousins!"

Burly Gladstone Winston, 34, of Somerton Road, Macclesfield, admitted using racially aggravated threatening and abusive behaviour when he appeared before the town's magistrates.

District Judge Phillip Dodd told the defendant: "Racially motivated offences are socially divisive.

"The law applies to all of us - white or black."

Earlier Richard Edwards, prosecuting, had said that Winston had entered Chester Fast Food takeaway on Mill Street premises one Saturday evening and began abusing staff.

Vincent McDade, defending, said Winston claimed he had received verbal abuse from the shop's staff during the incident.

He said: "It was very unwise - especially in the present climate.

"This is a somewhat curious case, as the client is black. You would have thought that Mr Winston would have known better, being from a minority group himself."

Winston was fined £300, and ordered to pay £40 court costs.