A FORMER PE teacher has been spared prison after subjecting a city centre doorman to foul racist abuse and violence.

Allan Taylor, of Leam Lane Estate in Felling, Gateshead, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Tuesday for sentence.

The 34-year-old admitted two offences of using racially aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, as well as one racially aggravated assault at a previous hearing

Prosecutor Rhian Jackson told the court at the last hearing that on October 26 last year, doorman Ricardo Morais was on duty at the Penny Black in Abbot Street.

Taylor approached him and began racially abusing him, "asking him if he belonged here and if he had a visa."

He told Mr Morais to "go back to his country" and was generally trying to goad him into a fight, the court heard.

The following night, at around 12.30am, Mr Morais was on duty at the club again.

He recognised the defendant when he approached with a group of friends.

Given the defendant's conduct the previous night, Mr Morais refused entry to the group.

Taylor responded with a tirade of foul and racist abuse and asked the victim to step away from the club to fight him.

The defendant slapped him to the cheek and then ran off into the city centre.

Taylor was spoken to by way of an interview following the offences.

Ms Jackson told the court: "He denied he was racist, saying he had a 'coloured man' tattooed on his arm."

At the sentencing hearing this week, Stephen Edwards, defending, told the court: "There is remorse here, and he accepts he wouldn't have behaved in this way had he not been drinking.

"As a youth he was a talented footballer but didn't make it professional.

"As a result of those skills he qualified as a PE teacher but had a setback, when a short period in custody resulted in the loss of that employment.

"In the last two-and-a-half years, he has retrained himself as a solar panel fitter, and that's why he was in North Wales."

The court heard on the last occasion that Taylor was in the area "working on a leisure centre for the local authority" at the time of the offences.

Mr Edwards continued: "One would have thought if he's here for work he wouldn't have been out in the local clubs and bars but on October 26 and 27, he was in town and drank far too much.

"He doesn't really remember what the argument was about.

"And the behaviour was simply repeated the following evening, which is a significant aggravating feature.

"He tells me - look, I'm not a racist but I accept my behaviour was very poor indeed and I wish to apologise."

Deputy District Judge Andrew Garthwaite told the defendant: "The offences were not clever in the slightest.

"To have said what you said to Mr Morais once is indefensible.

"To do it twice and then assault him in the process is stupidity.

"It is quite frequently the plea of those who appear before me and other tribunals; I'm not a racist.

"I'm not going to make any conclusions one way or the other but you uttered the words you did - whether through drink or some deep-rooted belief that what you were saying was correct.

"You need to reconcile that Mr Taylor because attitudes like that have no place in the the last century, let alone this one."

The Judge handed down a total custodial sentence of 20 weeks, but suspended it for 12 months.

Taylor must pay a total of £500 in fines for the three offences, as well as £300 compensation, a £154 victim surcharge and £85 costs.