A man who used the n-word while singing along to a Wu-Tang Clan song has been hit with a £500 fine for breach of the peace.
Kyle Siegel, of Norgaet, in Lerwick, admitted uttering the word while he was in the toilets of the Scalloway Boating Club in the early hours of February 20.
But inside a nearby cubicle was a person of mixed race, who was “severely shocked” by the use of language.
Lerwick Sheriff Court was told Siegel did not know she was in a cubicle when he sang along to Wu-Tang Clan’s song Protect Ya Neck and no offence was intended.
‘Artistic freedom’
The 25-year-old admitted conducting himself in a disorderly manner, entering the female toilets in which a number of people were present, including the person who identified as mixed rice, and uttering the word.
Fiscal depute Duncan Mackenzie told the court the incident happened at around 1am, during a birthday party at the boating club.
Protect Ya Neck, released in 1992, was the American group’s first single and contains lyrics like “I’ll attack any n***a who’s slack in his mack”.
Mr Mackenzie said it was loud enough for the complainer to hear, with an argument then developing before it was reported to the police.
‘No offence intended’
Defence agent Tommy Allan his client was “singing along to a TikTok on a friend’s phone”.
Mr Allan told Sheriff Ian Cruickshank that they were a well-established group formed in Staten Island, in New York City, in 1992, with members of an “ethnic background”.
The solicitor said a few issues arose from the case, such as “artistic freedom”, but he noted that Siegel was not a “person of colour”.
He added that his client “accepts that he has crossed the line” but that no offence was intended.
Sheriff Cruickshank fined Siegel £500 for the offence, with a victim surcharge of £20 added on top.
