UK

Man who spat on priest as Orange march passed Glasgow church is jailed

Canon Thomas White was assaulted outside his church. Picture by Archdiocese of Glasgow
Canon Thomas White was assaulted outside his church. Picture by Archdiocese of Glasgow Canon Thomas White was assaulted outside his church. Picture by Archdiocese of Glasgow

A MAN who spat on a Catholic priest in a "disgusting, cowardly and provocative" act as an Orange march passed a Glasgow church has been jailed for 10 months.

Canon Thomas White was targeted outside St Alphonsus Church in London Road on July 7 last year, when he was speaking to parishioners.

Bradley Wallace (24) from Uddingston in South Lanarkshire, admitted assaulting Canon White - a charge aggravated by religious prejudice.

Glasgow Sheriff Court was told Wallace, who was intoxicated with alcohol that day, accepts his behaviour was "utterly reprehensible and quite frankly disgusting".

Passing sentence yesterday, Sheriff Andrew Cubie said: "This is about the courts reflecting disapproval of the depressingly still deep-seated and widespread social issue of sectarianism which generates at the very least tension and at worst both hatred and conflict, and which disfigures civilised society.

"The courts in Scotland still deal all too frequently with cases of sectarian abuse which serve to harden and perpetuate divisions in society."

He also told him: "In my view, this entire incident was not so much aggravated by as entirely motivated by, religious prejudice".

The court heard how the assault happened amid a "grotesque spectacle" as the clergyman sought sanctuary in his own church to avoid the behaviour of a crowd outside, but he was unable to return to the building.

Canon White was in his clerical garb at the time, following a church service.

Wallace was arrested days after the incident and the court heard that DNA tests confirmed his guilt.

The attack on a respected member of the community drew widespread condemnation, including from cross-party politicians, at the time.

Sheriff Cubie told Wallace: "You could have acted with restraint but rather, no doubt emboldened by (and thinking that you were under the cover of) this aggressive and threatening crowd, you took the decision to spit on the priest, an act which is disgusting, cowardly and provocative, which demonstrates contempt and hostility and is designed to humiliate and demean.

"The whole situation must have been, as you recognise, very frightening for the complainer and those around him."

Sheriff Cubie added: "You are at an age when you must realise that such behaviour serves to maintain the sectarian divide. How could any 24-year-old from Scotland not know that it is wrong to peddle sectarianism?"

Defence lawyer John Coogan told the court: "Bradley Wallace properly acknowledges that this offence is utterly reprehensible and, quite frankly, disgusting".

He said the accused recognises the impact his actions have had on the priest and the wider public and that he had sought meeting in which he can apologise directly to the priest.

The sheriff said a custodial term was the only appropriate sentence in the case and he had reduced it from a possible 15-month term following Wallace's early guilty plea.

Sheriff Cubie said: "Those tempted to act in a sectarian way must understand society's repugnance of and weariness of that kind of behaviour and must expect to be dealt with accordingly."