A man posted a racist tirade on Facebook after his daughter accused an Asian taxi driver and his friends of trying to bundle her into a car.
John Robertson asked others to supply the names and addresses of the men and threatened to harm them in two posts made on the social networking site.
Depute fiscal Tina Dickie told Perth Sheriff Court: “The accused’s daughter attended at Perth police station to report that she had been approached by three Asian or Indian men in a car while she was walking in the Tulloch area in the early hours of the morning.
“She believed they were trying to bundle her into the taxi.
“Police officers established that she had been highly intoxicated at the time and the actual situation was that she had flagged down the taxi.”
Police traced the taxi driver who told them he had been driving his friends home after finishing his shift. Robertson’s daughter had flagged them down but become “hysterical” for no known reason and the taxi driver drove off.
However Robertson posted online: “Saw the police have got one of the P**i b***ards who grabbed my lassie into their taxi. I need a name and address so I can take their head off.”
A second post stated: “If I find out who he is they’ll wish they’d stayed in Pakistan.”
Police spoke to Robertson and when questioned he told them: “It was just an off the cuff comment. Facebook has deleted it anyway.”
Solicitor Billy Somerville, representing Robertson, said: “His daughter had come forward and stated that she had been grabbed.
“This does not justify his actions but it was two posts and they were quickly taken down by Facebook.”
Robertson, of James Street, Perth, had earlier admitted sending an offensive message through Facebook at his home address on August 27 this year.
Sheriff Gillian Wade told Robertson: “This is a very unpleasant offence and your comments were completely unjustified:”
She fined the 48-year-old £550.
