“I’m nae racist!”

A FRASERBURGH fisherman who got so drunk he was barred from flying and went on to racially assault a local taxi driver was fined £400 at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday.

The court heard that on 11 July, 48 year old Kenneth Ritchie, of 13 Thompson Terrace, had been drinking heavily at Sumburgh airport after his flight home was delayed.

When airport staff refused him on the plane because of his condition, he staggered out to a waiting taxi and asked for a lift to Lerwick.

Initially the Asian driver refused, but then relented and drove to town with his passenger fast asleep for the whole journey on the back seat.

Waking him up when they arrived, Ritchie said he needed to got to the Lloyds TSB cash machine on Harrison Square for the fare.

When he failed to withdraw any money, the taxi driver confronted him at which point Ricthie called him “a Paki bastard”, insisted he had paid already and punched him in the face.

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The driver called the police who were swift to attend and arrest the fisherman who continued to call make racist comments, while at the same time insisting: “I’m nae racist”.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said that his client continued to assert he was not a racist, pointing out that he worked on fishing boats alongside crews of many nationalities.

Sheriff Philip Mann described his behaviour as “unacceptable”.