A man ordered chips in a Cowdenbeath takeaway, then racially abused a worker and smashed a glass display.
Christopher Godden requested the food at AJ’s, before revealing he had no money and bursting into a tirade, which included shouts of “you are paedophiles, you guys are rapists”.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard the 36-year-old also entered a convenience store in the Fife town that day and accused a customer of being a paedophile and challenged an employee to a “square go” as he was escorted out.
Godden, of Main Street, Lumphinnans, appeared in the dock for sentencing having previously admitted his crimes.
Takeaway terror
Prosecutor Laura McManus told the court the offending took place in the centre of Cowdenbeath on August 21.
She said Godden entered the Usave shop in Broad Street and “appeared to be challenging a customer, accusing them of being a paedophile.”
He was overheard by an employee and asked to leave and “put his hand lightly on him”.
She said: “The accused responded by saying ‘don’t touch me’ and ‘c’mon then, square go,’ seemingly challenging witness Gibson to a fight”.
The fiscal depute said Godden also entered AJ’s takeaway that day and requested chips.
She said: “He then indicated he did not have any money and began shouting in the takeaway, ‘you are paedophiles, you guys are rapists’, then he grabbed a glass display, pulling at a frame, causing it to break and the glass smashed and landed on the floor.
“There was other shouting at other members of the public but directed towards (an employee) the word ‘Indian’ or ‘p*ki'”.
Police were contacted about both incidents and Godden was ultimately arrested and taken to custody in Dunfermline.
The cost of the damage in the takeaway was not available to the court.
‘Particularly unsavoury episodes’
Godden pled guilty to acting in a racially aggravated manner at AJ’s takeaway and vandalising property at the Perth Road takeaway by seizing and pulling a glass fridge and damaging it.
He pled guilty to a third charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards a Usave retail worker by making alarming remarks and threats of violence towards him.
Defence lawyer Stephen Morrison said Godden understands these to be “particularly unsavoury episodes”.
The court heard Godden is already on a community payback order with unpaid work and supervision and this offending happened after it was imposed.
The lawyer said Godden has untreated mental health problems although he “seems now to be accepting they are exacerbated by his misuse of alcohol”.
The lawyer said his client has undertaken anger management and has set up his own business in the tiling industry, though the work is periodical.
Jailed
Sheriff Wyllie Robertson pointed out Godden’s record discloses he has been made the subject of eight community payback orders (CPO) since 2014 and but for a short period after 2017, has continued to offend.
The sheriff said: “No retail worker deserves to be abused and threatened with violence in the course of their employment.”
The sheriff said the repeated failures of community-based disposals, together with the nature and gravity of these offences and his record, meant there was no alternative to custody and jailed him for six months.
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