Three people who racially abused black ticket-checkers at railway stations in Dublin were fined yesterday.
The incidents occurred at Tara Street DART station and Heuston Station on three separate dates and involved two ticket-checkers, Dublin District Court heard.
Mr Tom Sherlock, of Granby Centre Salvation Army Hostel, Dublin, denied he was "a racialist" because he told a ticket-checker he was a black man who should not be working in "a nice clean job" but should doing something in which he got his hands dirty.
The court heard he refused to leave a Galway-bound train at Heuston on July 13th after he was asked to do so by a station controller for making offensive remarks to the checker.
He told the controller: "I have nothing against these people, I just don't like them." Mr Sherlock told the court: "I am not a racialist and I worked for 10 years in England and they were given all they want, going around with their jewellery on their hands. They should get out and work. These people are being put on a pedestal."
Judge Peter Smithwick said it was quite wrong for somebody to make comments about people simply based on the colour of their skin. After hearing Mr Sherlock was a retired car-worker living on the contributory old age pension, Judge Smithwick fined him €50, with €60 costs. Mr Alan Drury, of Grace O'Malley Drive, Howth, Co Dublin, was also fined €50, with €60 costs, for calling a ticket-checker at Tara Street a nigger and a black bastard.
Ms Valerie Doyle, of Croftwood Drive, Ballyfermot, Dublin, was fined €150, plus €120 costs, for abusive language, and not having a ticket at Tara Street on June 7th.