Privately-educated Labour councillor who abused black Wetherspoons pub doorman in racist and Islamophobic tirade after he was asked to leave for being 'rowdy' is fined £650

A privately-educated Labour councillor who hurled a tirade of 'abhorrent' racist and Islamophobic abuse at a Wetherspoons pub doorman has been fined and ordered to pay compensation.

Millionaires' son George Rist, 28, had to resign as a town councillor in Monmouth, South Wales, after being banned for life from every pub in the town over the incident.

Today, he appeared in court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to racially and religiously aggravated harassment.

Newport Magistrates' Court heard Rist abused doorman Mahdi Sayid outside Monmouth's King's Head pub on December 30 last year — just nine days after he was elected by a five-vote margin.

Prosecutor Mike Williams said Mr Sayid was asked at around 11.15pm on the night in question to speak with a customer who was being 'rowdy'.

The customer, Rist, had initially appeared sociable towards staff, but refused to leave when asked. Eventually he stepped outside the pub, then started to be abusive towards Mr Sayid.

Rist told the victim: 'F***this, f*** you guys, merry Christmas and a happy new year', the court heard.

Mr Sayid, who was with his colleague, responded: 'We wish you a happy new year as well.'

Rist then walked away, but turned around and started shouting: 'F*** you and f*** where you have come from.'

Mr Sayid's colleague replied: 'What do you mean? He's from England.'

Rist went on: 'Is he f***, he's black, he's from Somalia or Zimbabwe.'

At this point, someone who had been watching on told Rist: 'Stop being a c*** and go home.'

But Rist continued to be abusive, making an offensive remark about the Prophet Muhammad before walking away.

As the prosecutor read the obscene words, the former councillor winced in the dock.

Mr Sayid, who describes himself as a black British Muslim with Somalian heritage, said he felt 'disgusted' by the 'abhorrent racism', which he believed was a 'calculated outburst of abuse'.

After he learned Rist had recently been elected as a councillor, he reported the matter to police.

In his police interview, Rist accepted making the comments and said he had gone out drinking that night after his parents encouraged him to do so because his grandmother was dying.

Mr Williams said: 'He told police he had never done anything like this before and that he was ashamed and disgusted with himself.

'His head was in his hands when he heard the comments he had made.'

Rist, of Priory Street in Monmouth, had no previous convictions.

Darren Bishop, mitigating, said that at the time of the incident his client had recently learned his grandmother was going to die at any moment and that his mother had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Mr Bishop said: 'You can imagine the atmosphere around the family home at the time.

'Rist was drinking five to six pints after work, five to six times a week. On December 30 he was encouraged by his parents to leave the family home and had gone to a local pub where he drank to excess.'

Mr Bishop described Rist as a 'high-functioning alcoholic in full-time employment who was drinking in excess after work'.

He was on medication for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) which meant he should not have been drinking, but he had been incorrectly advised by his GP that he could, according to Mr Bishop.

Rist's grandmother died the day after his abusive behaviour, the court heard.

Over the following days he attended two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and sent a 'letter of reparation' to the pub apologising for his behaviour.

The police became involved on January 10. Having been suspended by Labour, Rist announced in March that he was standing down as a councillor 'to focus on my physical and mental wellbeing'.

Mr Bishop added he was 'fully aware his political career has come to an end as a result of his behaviour'.

He said his client recently got a three-month sobriety chip from Alcoholics Anonymous and has been receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his childhood. 

The court heard he earns around £240 a week from an unspecified job.

Magistrate Nicholas Hobbs said he noted the steps taken by Rist to combat his alcohol dependency and the remorse shown.

Magistrates imposed a £411 fine, £85 in prosecution costs and a victim services surcharge of £164 as well as £100 in compensation.

Rist is a close ally of Labour parliamentary candidate Catherine Fookes, who will oppose Welsh Secretary David TC Davies, the town's current Tory MP, at the forthcoming general election. 

Ms Fookes described Rist – a former pupil at Haberdashers' Monmouth School, which charges £20,000 a year for day pupils and £38,500 for boarders - as 'dynamic and enthusiastic' when he won the by-election.

She said: 'It has been great to campaign with George and see his passion for our fantastic town.

'George will make a brilliant town councillor. He's dynamic and so enthusiastic about bringing more events to Monmouth.'

Rist, who studied international relations at Birmingham University, lives with his wealthy parents Stephen and Wendy Rist, both former company directors, at a house worth more than £1.25m not far from Monmouth town centre.

It is understood he was drinking in his local pub, the Punch House, before crossing the town's historic Agincourt Square to carry on boozing in The King's Head.

A customer said of his behaviour: 'It was a vile thing to do.'

'I felt sorry for the young lad (the doorman), he's a student putting himself through university by working in security. No one should have to put up with disgusting behaviour like that.'

The historic King's Head, said to have been visited by Charles I during the English Civil War, is a member of the town's Pubwatch scheme.

Rist was put on Pubwatch, which means he is banned from all the pubs on the scheme in Monmouth.

On March 12, less than six weeks after being officially welcomed onto Monmouth Town Council at a meeting on January 22, Rist handed in his resignation.

The chairwoman of Monmouth Pubwatch, who did not wish to be named, said: 'Mr Rist has been given a lifetime ban from all the pubs on the scheme, that's 17 in Monmouth and the surrounding area.

'He is one of four individuals on the list at the moment.

'We were approached by the doorman who asked if he could have our CCTV from the night. We have supplied that and it was passed to the police who are dealing with the matter.'

As he left the court, Rist said he was 'horrified by what happened' and that his words that night did not reflect his views.

Asked where they came from, he replied: 'I was going through a very difficult time. I am an alcoholic. 

'I was on medication and I had untreated complex post-traumatic stress disorder. I was not myself. I was not in my right mind.'