Landlord hurled racial abuse at traffic warden

Fergus Wilson’s outburst caught on camera

Controversial landlord Fergus Wilson has been convicted of racially abusing a traffic warden who gave him a parking ticket.

Footage of the 71-year-old’s rant was captured by the Slovakian-born enforcement officer’s body-worn camera.

But despite his conviction at Medway Magistrates Court, Wilson denies there was any racial element to the incident and says he will appeal.

The charge arose from an incident in April last year, when Wilson, from Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone, parked outside two properties owned by his wife in Queens Road, Maidstone, which were being renovated.

He maintains because the road was being resurfaced, the parking restriction signage had been removed, so was angry when attendant Zuzana Austin, 38, originally from Slovakia, gave him a ticket.

During the expletive-laden rant, Wilson raged at the warden: “Do you even speak English?” before telling her to go “back to your own place where you came from”.

Wilson said it was impossible to say he was being racist because blonde-haired and blueeyed Mrs Austin was the same race as him.

He was advised racial abuse could mean abuse of nationality,

Wilson said that also couldn’t apply since he understood that Mrs Austin had British citizenship.

Wilson was convicted and ordered to pay £1,000 compensation plus £705 in various costs. He must carry out 30 sessions of community service and obey a curfew for three months.

A restraining order was also put in place, banning him from having contact with Mrs Austin for two years.

Wilson, who defended himself at the trial, maintained afterwards the case had been a travesty of justice.

An additional charge of assault following an allegation he had poked Mrs Austin with his finger was dropped. Mrs Austin, 38, said the incident has left her traumatised.

Wilson and his wife Judith built up an empire of buy-tolet homes across Ashford and Maidstone.