A RACIALLY abusive pensioner who subjected Nationwide staff to offensive slurs and threatened to rob the bank left a police officer scared to do her job, a court heard.
Gordon Bees, 71, took the wrong train to London in April and became aggressive when he was told he could not withdraw any money from banks in Edgeware and Stanmore using his bus pass.
Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Bees then used derogatory and racist language towards Nikkita Lawrence, the branch manager of the Edgeware branch of Nationwide.
He left the bank and then travelled to Stanmore where he was again told his bus pass was not a valid form of identification for withdrawing money.
Bees then called a member of bank staff, Riya Patel, “a cow” and told her to “go back to India” before telling her he was going to rob the bank.
Staff called the police and Bees then used racial slurs towards arresting officer PC Sagoo.
Victim impact statements were read on behalf of the three women by Sharon Hall, prosecuting.
Ms Lawrence, who was a victim of the first outburst in Edgeware, said: “I have never been racially abused – I was in a bank full of people.
“I would never have expected to be racially abused, especially when working to help people – it is unacceptable and should not be happening.”
Ms Patel said: “I called the police because he was becoming verbally aggressive.
“He came back to the desk and said ‘I need some ****ing money and he said 'I am going to rob the bank'.
“He called me a ****ing cow and told me to go back to India.”
PC Sagoo said the abuse she was subjected to will “genuinely affect” her life at work.
Bees, of All Saints Close, Dovercourt, admitted three counts of racially aggravated harassment.
Natasha Nair, mitigating, said Bees was being supported by a mental health team and is taking his necessary medication as required.
Magistrates ordered Bees to pay £50 to each of his three victims and sentenced him to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for a year.
He was ordered to pay further costs of £347.
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