A woman has pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated abuse that was caught on camera and went viral on TikTok.
Twenty-eight-year-old Caroline Gray, of London Road in Hitchin, appeared at Stevenage Magistrates' Court yesterday (Wednesday, December 15) in relation to the racially aggravated public order offence, which took place in Market Place in June of this year.
The footage captures her using racially offensive language towards a male pedestrian.
Gray pleaded guilty to the offence and was given to a 12 month conditional discharge, costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £22.
Dt Insp Mike Ball said: “The video of this incident ended up going viral on social media and was covered by the national press.
"It is important that people understand that this type of racist behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
"Verbal racial abuse is classified as a hate crime and will be investigated accordingly. Like in this case, you could end up with a criminal record as a result.
“We work very hard in Hertfordshire to encourage people to report race/hate crime and have specialist hate crime officers in post to facilitate this and offer tailored support.”
When contacting Herts police, you can speak to specially-trained hate crime officers if requested.
For more information about where to report hate crime, visit hertsagainsthate.org. Information can also be reported directly to the police online, via web chat or by calling 101.
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