A racist tried to defend her offensive slurs when she appeared in the dock by arguing that her victim “actually calls himself Asian”.
Rosemarie Harvey failed to grasp how offensive her comments were when she appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court to admit two charges of acting in a racially-aggravated manner.
The court heard how the 63-year-old told one woman, who had parked outside Harvey’s house to collect her children from her in-laws, “go back to your country, you Asian”.
She also moaned about a noise coming from the neighbouring house in Keith during the incident on July 10 last year.
‘Go back to your country’
Fiscal depute Emily Hood said: “She was told there was nothing to for her to worry about and to go back inside.
“The accused then shouted ‘go back to your country, you Asian’.
“The complainer told her she would be contacting the police.”
When officers arrived and were taking her to the police van, Harvey they shouted in the direction of her neighbour’s address “f*** off back to Asia”.
Defence agent Stephen Carty told the court there had been a dispute between the neighbours at the time.
‘No place in society for this sort of behaviour’
“She is known to go through periods where she consumes too much alcohol,” he said about Harvey. “She had, on this occasion, become upset by what she perceived to be the poor conduct of the complainers.
“She accepts it must have been somewhat hurtful for the complainers to hear.
“She apologises and accepts it was very wrong for her to make these comments.”
However, at this point during the hearing Harvey interrupted her solicitor from the dock to say: “He actually calls himself Asian”.
Sheriff Robert McDonald her: “That doesn’t excuse the way you behaved.”
He added: “I hope you appreciate there really is no place in society for behaving in this sort of way and for making comments like this.”
Harvey, of Nelson Terrace, Keith, was handed a one-year supervision order.
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