O’Brien launched racist abuse at taxi driver and refused to give breath sample to police

JON MACPHERSON ABUSIVE O’Brien launched a foul-mouthed racist outburst on a taxi driver after telling him “I’m a councillor’, the court heard.

Enza Geldard, prosecuting, told magistrates O’Brien’s initial offences happened on New Year’s Eve last year at around 1am.

The court was told how O’Brien pulled up in front of a parked taxi on Deardengate in Haslingden before ‘staggering over’ to the Asian driver inside.

O’Brien asked him where he lived and ‘who gave him permission to drive a taxi’ before saying: “I’m a councillor’ and launching a foul-mouthed racist outburst, the hearing was told.

Mrs Geldard said a residents living on the street saw O’Brien ‘staggering all over the place’ before going into the Mega Bite takeaway.

The court was told how O’Brien was being ‘abusive towards anybody who came into the takeaway’ before he then tried to get back into his red Mini.

When another man tried to stop him he swore at him, using a racial term and telling him: ‘Go home. This is England.”

Police later arrived at the scene and O’Brien refused to give a breath sample test saying ‘I was not in a vehicle. You have no proof. I’m not required to.’

When he was taken to the police station he was then ‘constantly threatening officers’ and demanding his handcuffs be removed and saying he would ‘take them all on’.

He also called them ‘Nazis and stupid’.

When O’Brien later appeared at Burnley Magistrates Court on January 17 this year to answer to the offences he became verbally abusive and threatening towards court staff and security.

Mrs Geldard said O’Brien launched a foul-mouthed tirade against a security guard.

He then told the guard: “I will find out where you live. Don’t worry. I will break your nose on the way out fatty.”

Another Asian security officer said he was ‘shocked’ after O’Brien became abusive towards him and kept calling him ‘Abdul’.

Mrs Geldard said the officer felt O’Brien was ‘simply stereotyping me due to my ethnicity’ and it was a ‘racial comment’.

The court was told that when police officers arrived and arrested O’Brien he called them ‘Nazis’. While on bail for the previous two offences O’Brien was then arrested again by police on January 28 after being suspected of drink driving.

Mrs Geldard said a member of the public had alerted the police after seeing O’Brien ‘who could barely stand up’ get into his Mini outside the Robin Hood pub on Holcombe Road in Helmshore.

When officers arrived in the area they saw him driving down Grane Road at around 10.25pm and tried to make him pull over.

The court heard how O’Brien initially ignored the flashing lights and sirens and led officers along several roads before eventually stopping.

He then became ‘immediately hostile to police and uncooperative’ and had ‘slurred speech’ and was ‘unsteady on his feet’.

Mrs Geldard said officers could smell alcohol on his breath and O’Brien refused to take a breath taste before being ‘verbally abusive’.

When he was arrested and taken to the police station he refused to take the breath test a further two times before claiming ‘I wasn’t offered the opportunity. I’m not required to.’

The court heard how O’Brien has 32 previous offences and was last convicted for a public order offence in September last year.

Bash Khan, defending, said his offences started following the death of his partner.

He told the court: “He has shown some remorse for these offences when speaking to the probation service. His mental health state has deteriorated since his partner passed away a number of years ago which is when his offending started. He is on medication for anxiety and depression. It’s not an excuse for his behaviour but does provide more of an explanation.

“When he is faced with a situation where he is confronted it does increase his anxiety level and him then acting in the way that he has been.”