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12
Jul
Man admits racially harassing staff member at Harrogate shop
A man has admitted racially harassing a staff member at a Harrogate shop.
Peter Galsworthy, 39, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday (July 9) where he spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
Galsworthy, of Dene Park, admitted one count of racially aggravated harassment at the Co-op store on King Edwards Drive on May 8 last year.
Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting, told the court that the 39-year-old had entered the store at around 8.20pm when he began shouting: “is anybody working here?”.
The named victim came onto the shop floor and Galsworthy started asking where the beer crates were.
He then pointed at the victim as said: “You are always rude to me”.
The victim pointed towards some items, but Galsworthy became aggressive and said: “If you are in this country, you should serve me well”.
Ms Tyrer said:
He asked her to find him somebody English to deal with. He then told another member of staff that he was "dealing with a foreigner". He repeated this.
When another member of staff refused to serve him, he became aggressive and used words like “nonce” and “c***”, the court heard.
Ms Tyrer told the court that the harassment amounted to a “hate crime” and was “racially motivated”.
In a victim impact statement, which the prosecution read aloud in court, the victim said Galsworthy was “verbally abusive” and “criticised my English”.
They added:
His comments clearly targeted my nationality. I have never experienced such racial abuse. I felt humiliated.
The victim added that she feared for her safety during the incident.
Michelle Stewart, defending, said the incident was “unfortunate” and that Galsworthy wished to apologise to the court for his behaviour.
The defence said the defendant had a “bad day” and had taken that out on the staff member.
Ms Stewart said the incident was short and that the Galsworthy was “not targeting any group” or intending to cause fear of violence.
She said:
He accepts that he was quite agitated and used words which were unpleasant. He is sorry for any distress caused.
Magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. Galsworthy will appear again at Harrogate Magistrates Court on September 10, 2026.
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