A paper mill worker posted five racially offensive images on a north-east Facebook page.
Malcolm Craig, 49, decided to share the cartoons on the ‘Inverurie residents, anything goes’ site in June.
They all featured text which included a number of racial slurs and they included popular character Kermit the Frog, a pool table and eggs.
Craig appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday and pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by publishing comments of a racially offensive nature between June 10 and June 12.
Fiscal depute Lynzi Souter said the images were posted on the social medial page and that police were contacted by a member of the group shortly after they appeared.
She said: “The complainer had taken offence and after seeing them contact the police.
“When the police arrived at the accused’s home he said ‘I’ve been in turmoil all. It was meant to be a private page.’
“He made a full admission to posting the images.”
Defence agent Liam McAllister said his client “regrets” his actions and that he should have disposed of the images.
Mr McAllister said: “He recognises his conduct is abhorrent. He regrets posting these images wishes he had deleted them.
“It has had a profound impact on him. He has been the target of a hate campaign on social media. He has had thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
“Mr Craig is a working man. He works at a paper mill and provides for his family.
“He had been sent these photographs, memes and cartoons on a private Whatsapp group. He recognises they are not funny and are offensive.
“Mr Craig has no prejudice and recognises he should have simply deleted them.”
Sheriff Mark Stewart told Craig, of George Square, Inverurie, his actions were “unacceptable” and warned him about the potential impact of his actions.
He said: “This is entirely unacceptable and this sort of casual attempt at humour is abusive, inappropriate and divisive.
“I don’t need to remind you where this kind of behaviour leads.”
Sheriff Stewart ordered Craig to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work.
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