A disgruntled Dundee father drew a swastika on his German former girlfriend’s doorstep after she refused to let him see his child.
Alexander Peter Brown, 26, of Adamson Court, incorporated a note to the child saying he loved them in the drawing, Dundee Sheriff Court heard.
Brown was ordered to pay the woman £250 in compensation by Sheriff Charles McNair after he admitted the offence.
Depute fiscal Keith Robertson said the accused and his former partner had split up after a 10-year on-off relationship.
They still kept in contact as they had a young child and an arrangement had been made for Brown to pick the child up after school on December 11 last year.
However, when Brown got there, neither she nor their child was around and Brown was told the mother had arrived early and taken their child away.
The court heard Brown then went to the woman’s house and sat on the doorstep waiting for her to return.
He then sent a text message to his aunt with a picture showing the swastika he had drawn, with the words “Dad” and two love hearts drawn, Mr Robertson said.
The accused’s aunt told him to wash it off but he did not do so.
Mr Robertson said the accused’s response was that the child would not understand the swastika and would just see the words Love Dad.
Solicitor Brian Cooney said the incident had been borne out of frustration at his former partner’s actions and described it as “out of character”.
He said his client understood that it was completely unacceptable but stressed that the incident had taken place “in the heat of the moment”.
Sheriff McNair told Brown: “This sort of behaviour is wholly unacceptable, but I take into account all the circumstances.”
Brown admitted that on December 11 2013, at a house in Helmsdale Place, he acted in a racially aggressive manner and caused distress fear and alarm to the woman and drew a swastika on her doorstep.