Labour councillor racially and religiously abused Muslim doorman at Monmouth pub

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A Labour councillor racially and religiously abused a Muslim doorman at a pub in a drunken outburst just days after being elected.

George Rist had caused concern with his rowdy behaviour while out drinking in his hometown of Monmouth – where he had recently been elected to the council – before he asked a Black British doorman “where the f*** do you come from?” and challenging him and saying if he was a 13-year-old girl his victim would rape him.

The 28-year-old, who has since resigned as a councillor, admitted two charges of intending to cause harassment, alarm or distress and using threatening words or abusive behaviour that were racially and religiously aggravated when he appeared before Newport Magistrates Court on Friday, April 26.

Prosecutor Mike Williams told the court security guard Mahdi Sayid was working with a colleague at the King’s Head Wetherspoon’s pub on December 30 last year when at around 11.15pm he was asked to speak to someone about “rowdy behaviour in the pub”.

Abusive

Though Rist was originally compliant when asked to leave he was later abusive to others and started using the f word and Mr Wiliams said he told the doorman: “F*** you guys, merry Christmas and happy new year.

“The complainant and his colleague replied ‘we wish you a happy new year as well’ with that the defendant walked away and turned around and started shouting to the effect of ‘f*** you’ and ‘f*** where you have come from.

“His colleague replied ‘what do mean, he’s from England?’”

The defendant then replied shouting more racist abuse.

Mr Williams said someone else present then told Rist to go home.

The prosecutor added: “He failed to adhere to this advice and the abuse continued and the complainant says he said words to the effect of ‘say that to my face’ and ‘I bet if I was a 13-year-old girl you would come here and rape me’.”

Mr Willaims said Mr Sayid describes himself as Black British of Somali heritage and Muslim.

Others then told Mr Sayid the abusive person was a recently elected Labour town councillor: “The complainant did some research and reported matters to the police.”

Medication

In his police interview Rist said he’s gone out after being told his grandmother was dying and he’d been given medication for ADHD but understood he could drink while taking it.

His father had contacted the Wetherspoon pub on New Year’s Day and learnt a complaint had been made to police and Rist was banned from local pubs under the Pub Watch scheme.

Mr Williams said the police officers who interviewed him noted he’d shown “genuine remorse, held his head in his hands when the comments were read to him by officers” and he was “clearly upset” over the allegations he “fully admitted”.

Darren Bishop, defending, said Rist, of Priory Street, Monmouth, was of clean character who’d never been in trouble with the police before and described him as a “high functioning alcoholic” who works full-time and he had been diagnosed with ADHD, and post traumatic stress disorder as a child.

He said: “He resigned from his town council position and is fully aware his political career has come to an end as a result of his behaviour that night.”

He said Rist had “woken up the next day and taken steps to address his behaviour”.

Mr Bishop said the defendant’s grandmother had been a paralysed following an operation due to a brain tumour, when he was seven, and cared for by his mother and the family was informed towards the end of last year she was “essentially going to die at any time”. Mr Bishop said she died the following day on New Year’s Eve.

He also said his mother had been diagnosed with a serious illness and at the time Rist was drinking around five or six pints after work, five or six times a week but he’d been “encouraged by his parents” to go out that night following the news about his grandmother.

“He fully accepts he is responsible for his own actions.”

Alcoholics Anonymous

Since the incident, and Mr Bishop said before Rist was aware the police were involved, he has attended Alcoholics Anonymous and was already seeing a psychiatrist since December last year.

Rist was fined £411, which was increased from £370 due to the racial and religious elements, but discounted due to his guilty plea at the first opportunity and also told to pay £85 towards the prosecution costs and a £164 victim surcharge as well as £100 compensation to Mr Sayid.

Rist must pay the £760 total in 28 days and offered to pay immediately.

Outside court Rist told reporters the comments didn’t reflect his views and said: “I was going through a very rough period at the time, I’m an alcoholic, I’m on medication. I was not myself.”

Rist was elected to Monmouth Town Council, as a Welsh Labour candidate, in a by-election on December 21, winning 182 votes which was five more than the Conservative candidate.

He resigned from the council in March this year “to focus on his physical and mental wellbeing” days before it was revealed he’d been banned from pubs under the Pub Watch scheme due to an incident at a pub in the town.