A MAN hurled racist abuse at a bus station worker who tried to wake him up as he slept on a bench.

Mark Thomasson, of Manchester Road, Linthwaite, admitted a charge of racially aggravated disorderly behaviour.

Kirklees magistrates were told that the incident happened at Huddersfield bus station on July 17.

At the time the victim, security guard Nadeem Hamid, was on duty.

Prosecutor Vanessa Schofield said that Mr Hamid approached Thomasson, who had fallen asleep in the Upperhead Row station.

She said: “Thomasson had his legs out and Mr Hamid was concerned that he was a trip hazard for passers by.

“He tried to wake him up. The defendant had been drinking and became aggressive as he was not happy about being woken up.”

Magistrates were told that because of his behaviour, Mr Hamid and his colleague escorted Thomasson from the bus station.

Ms Schofield said: “He continued to be aggressive. He called him a black b******, a p**i and told him: ‘Go back to your own country’.

“When police arrived he was still being abusive and aggressive in his behaviour.”

Magistrates were told that Thomasson was last before the court in 2005 for driving while disqualified.

Mike Sisson-Pell, mitigating, said that his client had had a few drinks and was ‘shocked’ to have been woken up.

He said that if Mr Hamid had not intervened, the 45-year-old would have boarded his bus home.

Magistrates were told that Thomasson has since been banned from the bus station.

This has made his life more difficult, Mr Sisson-Pell said.

He added: “This is a man who is very much ashamed of himself, it’s entirely out of character.

“He has members of ethnic minorities in his own family and he says the last thing he is is racist.”

Magistrates fined Thomasson £110 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.