Solicitor fined for racist rant at mum and toddler

The abuse happened on a West Coast Mainline train. Credit: ITV Border

A solicitor has been fined for a racist rant at a mother and toddler, while on a train between London Euston and Glasgow.

Carlisle Magistrates Court heard that on 29 December 2016, Alexander MacKinnon, 47, of Mansionhouse Road, Glasgow, shouted at a four year old child in the first class carriage of the train, telling him to be quiet.

When the child’s mother asked him not to shout at her son MacKinnon, who had been drinking, replied with a barrage of racist abuse, demanding to "know where she came from", "why didn’t she go back there", and that she "shouldn’t be travelling in first class".

The woman began to cry and reported him to a member of train staff, and the train manager told MacKinnon he would be taken off the train at Carlisle station and held over to police.

The court heard that MacKinnon then continued his racist rant, all the way through to his police interview.

At court, he pleaded guilty to the Racially Aggravated Public Order offence and was fined £1,154.

He was also ordered to pay £50 compensation, a £150 victim surcharge and court costs of £85.00.