A man who turned up outside his neighbour’s home to shout racist abuse and make terrifying threats to end his life has been handed a “significant” fine.
Andrew Paterson appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted banging on his neighbour’s front door before warning him he was “a dead man” if he reported the 56-year-old’s vile actions to police.
The neighbour – who has since moved address – refused to open the door to Paterson because his young family was inside.
As the man watched him through his peephole, Paterson called the man “a grass” and made a slashing motion across his throat.
Paterson, who turned up to court wearing camouflage gear, then told the man to “go back to f****** Africa”.
Man believed neighbour had ‘grassed’ him to police
Fiscal depute Georgia Laird told the court that at around 12pm on January 14 last year, the man was home with his three children when he became aware of a knocking on his front door.
He looked through the peephole and saw Paterson, who he knew from around the area, standing outside the door.
The man didn’t immediately respond and soon after Paterson began puffing out his chest and shouting.
“You grassing me to the police, you shouldn’t have done that,” Paterson said, adding: “Don’t ever go to court because if you do you’re a dead man.”
“You can’t come to my country and start reporting me to the police,” Paterson said, before telling the man “go back to your own country”.
Neighbour pleads guilty
The man then saw Paterson make a slashing motion by dragging his finger across his neck.
He repeated that if the case ever made it to court that his neighbour was “a dead man”.
Paterson then told the man to “go back to f****** Africa.”
The man tried to reason with Paterson, telling him he wanted to be a peaceful neighbour.
When Paterson left from outside his door the terrified man called the police to report the incident.
In the dock, Paterson pleaded guilty to one charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and uttering racial remarks.
Alcohol is ‘no excuse’ for racism
Defence solicitor Lynn Bentley told the court that her client, who has previous convictions, had a nearly four-year gap in his offending between 2019 and this incident.
“He has not been in any trouble since,” she said.
“Mr Paterson explains that at the time he had a bit of a drink problem.
“He knows it was unwise to go anywhere near his neighbour’s door, knock on the door and use the language that he did – he apologises.”
Sheriff Rhona Wark described Paterson’s actions towards his former neighbour as a “thoroughly unpleasant incident”.
“This was a thoroughly unpleasant thing for you to have done to this family,” she said.
“While I accept it was done under the influence of alcohol, there’s certainly no excuse for that behaviour and no excuse for the comments you made.
“The fine I impose on you will be significant.”
Sheriff Wark fined Paterson, of Wallfield Place, Aberdeen, a total of £640.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
