A racist thug who violently attacked bar workers in Aberdeen city centre when his credit card payment was declined has avoided a prison sentence.
Dad-of-one Thomas Collins admitted punching and biting staff at Wilson’s Sports Bar during a night out in December last year.
The 36-year-old then turned on customers as workers tried to eject him from the Market Street pub.
One staff member was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to receive a tetanus injection.
Collins’ unruly behaviour continued in McDonald’s, where he headbutted plastic Covid partitions.
He then racially abused a taxi driver and ran off into the Ibis Hotel when he was unable to pay the £13 fee.
After causing a disturbance in the hotel lobby, Collins was taken into custody by police, where he threatened to assault a female officer when she was off-duty.
His solicitor told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that Collins had been upset about the breakup of his marriage at the time and suffered from a drinking problem.
Collins, who has been in custody for over two months, pleaded guilty to seven charges, including assault, making racially offensive remarks and making threats of violence to police officers.
He pleaded not guilty to a charge of exposing himself in front of officers, which was accepted by the Crown.
Accused was racist to taxi driver when he couldn’t pay
The court heard, at Collins previous hearing, how he attacked staff at Wilson’s Sports Bar in Aberdeen after his credit card payment had been declined.
He then punched a customer before hitting a female staff member in the jaw. Collins also bit a female worker’s finger.
He was then seen by witnesses demanding burgers and napkins at the counter of McDonald’s on Union Street and was informed he hadn’t bought any food.
He began to shout and swear and punched and headbutted several plastic partitions that had been put up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He punched one partition and “smashed it into several pieces” causing alarm to customers.
At Exchange Street a short time later, Collins hailed a taxi and asked to be taken to the Ibis Hotel, where on arrival he failed to pay the £13 fare and made off into the hotel reception where he called the taxi driver a ‘dirty black’ several times.
Thug went out and got drunk after wife left him
Defence agent Declan O’Keefe told the court that Collins had been “devastated” when his wife left him and “things had escalated right before Christmas”.
“He had essentially hit rock bottom and turned to alcohol”, Mr O’Keefe said.
“Mr Collins made the horrendous decision to go to Aberdeen for a night out to try to distract himself and gets absolutely blind drunk.
“He starts trouble in Wilson’s Sports Bar and gets asked to leave there but doesn’t realise why he’s been asked to leave and acts in a way that is totally despicable towards the staff.”
Mr O’Keefe stated that Collins had also behaved in a “disgraceful manner” towards staff in McDonald’s and the taxi driver who he racially abused and ran away from.
“He is absolutely mortified by his behaviour and he is really sorry,” Mr O’Keefe said.
Sheriff Kevin Duffy described Collins’ offences as an “appalling course of conduct” in the city centre of Aberdeen.
He added: “A custodial sentence would be completely merited, but you have been in custody since December 30.
“You’ve had plenty of time to consider the foolishness of your behaviour and all the difficulties caused for everyone, including your own family.
“I hope you take this as a lesson and, with some hesitation, I will consider a community-based disposal as an alternative custody.”
Sheriff Duffy sentenced Collins to a community payback order with a supervision requirement for 18 months as an alternative to a prison sentence.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen, as well as the latest crime and breaking incidents, join our new Facebook group HERE.
