Hotel guest hurled racial and homophobic abuse

A MILD-MANNERED 54year- old man, who had never been in trouble with the police, lost his temper over a parking ticket, racially insulted a hotel manager, punched a guest and hurled homophobic abuse at police.

James McKie, of 19 Northwood Road, Tullibody, Alloa, was fined a total of £ 800 and ordered to pay £250 compensation to the guest who stepped in and tried to calm things down in the foyer of the Columba Hotel on March 27 and got a cut lip in return.

McKie had been spending the weekend in Oban with his wife when he was given a ticket in the council-run car park outside the hotel.

McKie’s defence agent Jane McLaren told Oban Sheriff Court last week: ‘This behaviour was completely out of character. He is usually someone who stays away from confrontation and walks away from it.

‘He comes before the court with no previous convictions. He wants to apologise to the court for his behaviour, to the staff at the hotel and the man he assaulted. He feels very embarrassed.’

At an earlier court hearing he had admitted aggressive and intimidating behaviour, spitting, racially aggravated comments to the hotel’s manager and assaulting a fellow guest, along with homophobic remarks made at the town’s police station.

The sentence had been deferred until last week for a report to be prepared.

Mrs McLaren said that McKie takes an anti-alcohol medication which should never be consumed along with drink.

If he intended to take a drink he would stop a week before but this time he stopped only four days before his holiday; he believed this to be the cause of his actions.

Sheriff Ruth Anderson QC described McKie’s behaviour as ‘absolutely appalling’.