He threatened to knock out the worker, a court heard
Matthew Jones after an earlier hearing at Hull Crown Court(Image: Hull Live)
A worker at a car wash was beaten and racially abused by an aggressive and bad-tempered man during a nasty unprovoked attack. Matthew Jones hurled abuse at the victim, who was resting when Jones turned up – smelling of alcohol – in his car.
He threatened to knock out the worker and yelled that he was sick of “foreigners coming here”, a court heard. Jones, 30, of South Street, Cottingham, admitted assault by beating and causing racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence on July 20 last year.
Claire Holmes, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the car wash worker was reclining in his car because it was raining and there were no customers at the car wash near Hull. Jones drove up in his car, parked very close behind him, got out of his vehicle, began shouting and banged on the car wash worker’s car window.
The man got out of his car and Jones came directly up to him, shouting, swearing and gesturing. He could smell alcohol on the breath of Jones, who erupted into a tirade of racial abuse, grabbed hold of the worker’s clothes and dragged him forward. There was a scuffle.
The man tried to move away from the situation but Jones followed him. “He tried to protect himself by grabbing a set of small metal steps, which he threw towards the defendant,” said Miss Holmes.
Other car wash workers tried to assist but Jones continued to shout and swear. He yelled: “I’ve had enough of you f****** foreigners coming here. F*** you. Come over here. I will knock you out. Come and hit me, you little s***.”
The violence was captured on CCTV. When the victim began calling police, Jones got into his car and left the scene. But shortly afterwards, he returned on foot and continued verbally abusing the worker.
The victim called 999 and police attended to arrest Jones. Miss Holmes said that, during police interview, Jones denied that his outburst was racist.
“It was an observation,” he told police officers. Jones was later convicted at a magistrates’ court in July last year of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. He had convictions for five previous offences.
Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Jones was lightly convicted. He admitted the offences at an early stage.
Judge Gurdial Singh told Jones: “You behaved disgracefully. He was doing nothing wrong and you launched into him.” It was a “deliberate attempt to demean, insult and abuse him” that day.
“You meant it as a term of abuse,” said Judge Singh. “I am going to give you one chance and one chance only.”
Jones was given 250 hours’ unpaid work, an alcohol treatment course and 10 days’ rehabilitation.
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