IRELAND - Elderly man avoids conviction for racial abuse

Comment: Fascinating story in an Irish paper...or I thought so. :-)
PS I wonder what sentence he would have got in the UK?

From the Irish Examiner, Cork 

Elderly man avoids conviction for racial abuse on street 
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
By Liam Heylin

A man has pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive, or insulting language where he was described as verbally abusing a non-national on Barrack St, Cork.

Inspector Bill Duane said gardaí responded to a call to the area on Jan 4.

A non-national told gardaí he was in the area waiting for an estate agent to come to show him a property on 96 Barrack St.
As he was waiting, Richard Hurley, 68, came out of 95 Barrack St.

Insp Duane said at Cork District Court yesterday: “He came out and stuck his finger up to him and said:
‘Go back to your own fucking country you fucking black ‘N’.”

“Mr Hurley told gardaí the man was peeping in his doorway and said: ‘I will not have peeping Toms in my doorway.’
“He continued to shout: ‘The Irish did not fight in West Cork for the blacks. Bobby Sands did not die for the blacks’,” said Insp Duane.

Judge Leo Malone asked why Hurley was behaving in this manner.
Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said Hurley reached the age of 68 without getting into this kind of difficulty.

Mr Kelleher said Hurley had heart difficulties and that this had something to do with his lack of tolerance on the occasion.

“Behaving in this fashion is not good for your heart either,” said Judge Malone.

“He has no predisposition to this kind of criminality,” said Mr Kelleher.

“It is inappropriate behaviour,” said Judge Malone.
“Taking into consideration his age I, reluctantly, won’t impose a conviction.
I will put it back to Mar 25, 2013.
If he pays €350 to Marymount hospice he will get the benefit of a dismissal under the Probation of Offenders Act.”

Source: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/elderly-man-avoids-conviction-for-racial-abuse-on-street-216723.html