A 22-YEAR-OLD man who unleashed a torrent of racist abuse at a photographer has been fined by a court.

Dean Kent repeatedly called Navjot Sawhney a “paki” outside HEALS charity shop in Malmesbury High Street on January 27.

Mr Sawhney was taking marketing photos of the charity shop at around 6pm when he stepped back into the road in front of a car in which Kent was a passenger, Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard today.

Kent, 22, then shouted at him to get out of the road and used racist slurs including “rag head”.

James Burnham, prosecuting, said that Mr Sawhney, works at Dyson in Malmesbury, “felt alarmed” by the abuse. Kent, of Doveys Terrace in Kington Langley, Chippenham, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He was ordered to pay £50 compensation as well as £100 in fines and a £20 victim surcharge.

Mr Burnham said: “[The abuse] was quite persistent. The vehicle stopped and the defendant continued the abuse.”

Emma Thacker, representing Kent, said he was being driven by his girlfriend who had to stop suddenly when Mr Sawhney stepped back, which “caused her some upset”.

She said Kent had suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since he was 11 and struggles to cope with some situations.

Although he is not on medication for the condition, she said he managed it with diet and was on employment and support benefits and disability living allowance.

Kent told the court he wanted to apologise for what he had done when District Judge Simon Cooper asked him if he had anything to say for himself.

Passing sentence, the judge told him: "The real concern about it were these were inflammatory remarks in what is a highly charged atmosphere in the country at the moment towards people who are not apparently from this country.

"It is what I would call a febrile atmosphere at the moment. It was wholly unnecessary to be so insulting.

"He was trying to work, taking a publicity photograph for a charity shop for goodness sake.

“You apologised publicly, I want that message to get back to Mr Sawhney."