A 58-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed after shouting vile racist comments at his Asian neighbours when they returned home.

Blackburn magistrates heard Philip Townley had a history of similar behaviour which had seen him sent to prison on several occasions.

But he showed no remorse for his behaviour when he was arrested for the offence.

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Townley, of Cornelian Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated threatening behaviour towards Raheela Hussain.

He was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison with a further five weeks for being in breach of a suspended prison sentence order imposed for a similar offence.

The chairman of the magistrates said Townley’s behaviour had been “totally unacceptable”.

He said: “Society does not tolerate that kind of abusive behaviour.

“Your neighbours were terrified and you have expressed no remorse for the way you behaved towards them.”

Philippa White, prosecuting said Townley lived across the road from Mrs Hussain and her family and she said his behaviour was an ongoing problem.

On the night of the incident she got home with her husband and their young children at about 7.10pm.

“She saw him on the street and formed the impression he was drunk,” said Mrs White. “She quickly got the children into the house and went back to warn her husband.”

Townley started shouting racist abuse relating to the fact he had lived in his house for 25 years and why should he have to live with people from ethnic minorities.

“The abuse went on for about 10 minutes after she had got home,” said Mrs White.

“A police officer attended and saw Townley standing in his doorway and he was clearly extremely intoxicated.”

Mrs White said over recent years Townley had been dealt with for similar offences by way of suspended sentences which had been activated and immediate prison sentences.

“He was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence for similar behaviour in May,” she added.

Colleen Dickinson-Jones, defending, said Townley lived a very isolated life in his own home in Corinthian Street.

She said: “He says he suffers difficulty with his neighbours who are predominantly Asian.

“He has accepted it is time to put his house on the market.” and remove himself from the whole situation.”

Mrs Dickinson Jones said Townley felt he was reacting to what was going on around him and felt nobody was listening to his side of the story.

“He realises that shouting verbal abuse at his neigjhbours is not the way to deal with it,” said Mrs Dickinson-Jones.