A Peterhead man walked free from court yesterday after he was cleared of making a racist comment towards a co-worker.
Raymond Hepburn had been accused of referring to fellow Enviroco Ltd employee Svetlana Losickaja as a “foreigner” following a heated argument.
The 64-year-old denied the charges and was found not guilty at Peterhead Sheriff Court due to insufficient evidence.
The court heard that Hepburn – then a supervisor at Enviroco – and Ms Losickaja had been arguing during a morning meeting of workers on April 11 last year.
Hepburn, whose address was given in court papers as 18 Wallace Crescent, told police he had made a comment as Ms Losickaja left the room, but denied acting in a racially aggravated manner.
Giving evidence yesterday, Christina Porter, 25, who works with Ms Losickaja as a chemist at the industrial site, said: “Ray made a comment because he was annoyed that she just left.
“I was pretty shocked. Svetlana was new to work at that time, I thought it was a bit unfair.”
Yard operative Alexander Menelaw, 56, suggested Hepburn had been “goaded” into making the comment.
“Her voice was raised to the extent of almost shouting. He was shocked and stunned that the conversation was going on. It wasn’t malicious. He was goaded,” he said.
Ms Losickaja, who communicated in court with the aid of an interpreter, said her first language was both Russian and Lithuanian.
Asked how she felt when she learned of Hepburn’s comments towards her, she replied: “Devastated. I was devastated.”
Sheriff James Tierney said there was insufficient evidence to prove that Hepburn’s remark was intended to be malicious.
“There is no evidence of any malicious motivation or insinuation on the part of the accused,” he said.
“This statement was made by the accused in a private meeting in the workplace, and it was not said in a way that it was likely to incite public disorder.”
Fiscal Depute Cheryl Clark suggested Hepburn could still be found guilty of a breach of the peace.
However, Sheriff Tierney concluded: “It does not amount, in my mind, to a breach of the peace. I accordingly find the accused not guilty of the charge.”