Councillor hurled racist abuse at pub doorman
ADISGRACED councillor hurled racist and Islamophobic abuse at a Wetherspoon pub doorman.
George Rist has been sentenced for two criminal offences over his “abhorrent” rant at the staff member at the King’s Head in Monmouth.
Rist, who at the time was a Labour councillor for the Town ward on Monmouth town council, resigned from his role in the wake of his abuse towards Mahdi Sayid, which took place on December 30 last year – just nine days after he was elected by a five-vote margin – and resulted in him being banned from pubs in the town.
The 28-year-old appeared yesterday at Newport Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded guilty to racially and religiously aggravated harassment.
Prosecutor Mike Williams said Mr Sayid was asked at around 11.15pm on the night in question to speak with a customer who was being “rowdy”. The customer, Rist, had initially appeared sociable towards staff but when he was asked to leave he refused to do so. Eventually he stepped outside the pub, then started to be abusive towards Mr Sayid.
Rist told the victim: “F***this, f*** you guys, merry Christmas and a happy new year.” Mr Sayid, who was with his colleague, responded: “We wish you a happy new year as well.” Rist then walked away, but turned around and started shouting: “F*** you and f*** where you have come from.” Mr Sayid’s colleague replied: “What do you mean? He’s from England.” Rist went on: “Is he f***, he’s black, he’s from Somalia or Zimbabwe.”
At this point someone who had been looking on told Rist: “Stop being a c*** and go home.”
But Rist continued to be abusive, making an offensive remark about the Prophet Muhammad before walking away.
As the prosecutor read the obscene words, the former councillor winced in the dock.
Mr Sayid, who describes himself as a black British Muslim with Somalian heritage, felt “disgusted” by the “abhorrent racism”, which he believed was a “calculated outburst of abuse”. After he learned Rist had recently been elected as a councillor, he reported the matter to police.
In his police interview Rist accepted making the comments and said he had gone out drinking that night after his parents encouraged him to do so because his grandmother was dying. “He told police he had never done anything like this before and that he was ashamed and disgusted with himself,” said Mr Williams. “His head was in his hands when he heard the comments he had made.”
Rist, of Priory Street in Monmouth, has no previous convictions. Darren Bishop, mitigating, said that at the time of the incident his client had recently learned his grandmother was going to die at any moment and that his mother had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
“You can imagine the atmosphere around the family home at the time,” the solicitor added. “Mr Rist was drinking five to six pints after work, five to six times a week. On December 30 he was encouraged by his parents to leave the family home and had gone to a local pub where he drank to excess.”
Mr Bishop described Rist as a “high-functioning alcoholic in fulltime employment who was drinking in excess after work”. He was on medication for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) which meant he should not have been drinking, but he had been incorrectly advised by his GP that he could, according to Mr Bishop.
Rist’s grandmother died the day after his abusive behaviour.
Over the following days he attended counselling and sent a “letter of reparation” to the pub apologising for his behaviour. Police got involved on January 10.
Having been suspended by Labour, Rist announced in March that he was standing down as a councillor “to focus on my physical and mental wellbeing”.
He is “fully aware his political career has come to an end as a result of his behaviour”, said Mr Bishop, who added that his client has been getting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his childhood. The court heard he earns around £240 a week.
Presiding Justice Nicholas Hobbs noted the steps taken by Rist and the remorse shown. The magistrates imposed a £411 fine, £85 in prosecution costs and a victim services surcharge of £164, as well as £100 in compensation.
As he left the court Mr Rist told the Western Mail he was “horrified by what happened” and that his words that night did not reflect his views.
Asked where they came from, he replied: “I was going through a very difficult time.
“I am an alcoholic. I was on medication and I had untreated complex post-traumatic stress disorder. I was not myself. I was not in my right mind.”