An Aberdeen man was yesterday fined £1,000 for using racist language which “has no place in the 21st century”.
Sheriff Sukwhinder Gill said she was “shocked” after hearing the abuse Andrew Cumming aimed at Neil Healey between June 11 and July 2.
Fiscal Karen Dow told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that the 29-year-old, of Cummings Park Drive, does not personally know Mr Healey but that he is a friend of a friend.
She added: “Mr Healey received messages from the accused on Facebook, containing swearing and offensive language.
“Mr Healey responded to those, and received further threatening messages.”
Cumming, who was described as a single man with a parrot and a dog, later admitted sending “grossly offensive” messages of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.
Defence agent Peter Shepherd said his client may have been drunk at the time and stressed that he had made no further contact with the complainer since he was arrested.
Sheriff Gill said: “First of all, I’m shocked that anyone in the 21st century, and in 2018, would come out with these comments.
“They were derogatory and demeaning and there is no place for words like that in society any more.”
The court heard that social work reports appeared to suggest that Cumming had failed to grasp what he had done wrong.
Sheriff Gill decided against sending Cumming on a diversity training course, opting to fine him instead.