Worthing man sentenced for racially abusing neighbour
The victim said he felt 'unsafe' following the incident
A Worthing man who was abusive towards his neighbour has been given a greater sentence due to the racially-aggravated nature of the offence.
31-year-old plumber Sean Cannon was in his hot tub when he started shouting racial abuse towards his neighbour in Warren Road the early hours of September 22nd last year.
He had already sent threatening text messages to the victim earlier the same day.
Cannon then took to banging on his neighbour’s front door, continuing to shout racial abuse. Police were called and attended the scene, where they arrested Cannon.
Appearing at Worthing Magistrates' Court last Tuesday (March 2nd), Cannon pleaded guilty to racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence.
He was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, which was uplifted by 60 hours because of the racial element of the offence.
The court also ordered that Cannon pay £100 in compensation to the victim, a victim surcharge of £95 and costs of £85.
Following sentencing, the victim said:
“I want to thank the police for their prompt and professional response, which meant they were able to witness some of the racial abuse that my family and I were subjected to.
“We have lived in our home for 18 years, and this incident made us feel unsafe.
"I hope this case encourages other people who have suffered hate crime to report it to the police.”
Sergeant Peter Allan, from the Adur, Worthing and Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
"I am pleased the court acted to increase the sentence, to reflect the racial nature of Sean Cannon’s behaviour.
“I hope this case sends out a clear message that we will take a robust approach to those who perpetrate behaviour that can have an impact on people, for nothing more than being who they are.
“I also hope the sentence will encourage victims of hate crime to report such behaviour to the police. We appreciate how difficult it can be for victims and witnesses to give evidence, but we will support them throughout the process.
"Hate crime can be reported to us by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency. For those who wish to report online, you can do so by completing the short form which is available on our website."