A 63-year-old Methil man has been fined £500 after sending a racist email to the Fife Migrants Forum.
Ronald Hunter was blasted by Sheriff Brian Cameron for the abusive and insulting content of his message.
Hunter had become angry after the forum had been awarded £75,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Support and Connect programme.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Tuesday, Sheriff Cameron was told that Hunter admitted sending the email on December 24 last year.
He heard that workers for the Fife Migrants Forum were very concerned about the content of the emails and the vast number that were sent.
Hunter’s solicitor, Scot Dignan, said: “When he saw the grant, it caused him dismay. Perhaps an appropriate forum was with the national lottery authority who granted the amount and not with the group.”
Hunter, of St Andrews Square, is employed as an accountant and had no previous convictions.
Sheriff Cameron said: “The terms of the email were abusive, insulting, racially offensive and you do yourself no credit whatsoever by sending emails like that.”
Hunter admitted sending an email to the Fife Migrants Forum which was abusive in nature and contained racially offensive remarks.
The chairman of Fife Migrants Forum Maciej Dokurno said: “It was a sad incident which caused concern to our staff.
“However, it has been outweighed by the warm welcome we have all received from the local community and by the very positive feedback the organisation receive on a daily basis from both migrant and Fife-born clients.
“To some extent, the anti-immigrants rhetoric of some UK politicians and some national media has contributed to this incident, and I hope that politicians responsible will understand the potentially dangerous impact their statements can have on the local community.
“We praise the police for how sensitively and efficiently they have dealt with this incident.”