A man with raging toothache racially abused a dentist who would not carry out an extraction and landed himself in court.

A man with raging toothache who racially abused a dentist who would not carry out an extraction landed himself in court.

Justin Higgins, 41, of Abbots Road, Tewkesbury pleaded guilty to racially aggravated intentional harassment of Dr Usuf Ali at Oasis Dental Care practice on High Street in Tewkesbury, Glos.

The court heard Higgins was an alcoholic who had drunk almost a litre of vodka before he went to Dr Ali's surgery and racially abused him on January 24 this year.

Prosecutor Matthew McCabe said: " It was just after 6pm on January 24 when he went into the dental practice and asked for a tooth to be extracted.

"It was explained to Mr Higgins that he had to be a patient. He became abusive and he was very drunk so he was asked to leave the practice.

"He went to the bottom of the stairs and he turned to Dr Ali saying:'I don't want to talk to you because you are black or a Paki.

"Police were called and the female staff were terrified. He admitted he was highly intoxicated."

"He had raging toothache - he was intoxicated and very arrogant.

"He says he does get obnoxious and aggressive when he has been drinking."

In a victim statement read out in court Dr Ali, who described himself as an English Indian, said "I was shocked to hear that sort of language and concerned for the females in the practice."

He asked for a restraining order against Higgins but that was refused by the magistrates.

Defending Lorna Bennett said: "He is extremely ashamed of his actions and very sorry for the distress and upset caused to Dr Ali and his female colleagues.

"It was because of the alcohol - he wouldn't have acted in this way had he not been drinking."

The court heard Higgins had lost his job as a hairdresser because of his alcohol addiction which had deteriorated since the death of his father five years ago.

He was now attending Alcoholics Anonymous three or four times a week to help with the problem.

Chairman of the bench Roger Utley said: "I think you understand what you said was completely out of order and it is more serious because it was to a dentist and in front of his colleagues.

"The amount of pain you were in with a toothache is something we have taken into consideration."

The Magistrates ordered Higgins to pay a £120 fine as well as £100 compensation to Dr Ali and £45 costs.

They did not impose a restraining order because there had been no more incidents involving Higgins and Dr Ali since January 24.

Photo credit: Pixabay image of a dentist at work