A TIRADE of racial abuse was hurled at an innocent petrol station worker on the evening terrorists struck London Bridge, a court heard on Thursday.

Burly Jamie Garner ‘hung his head in shame’ when police officers told him he had screamed “f*cking ISIS” at a woman just hours after the deadly attack.

Members of the public had to drag the drunk Stockton man away after he subjected the cashier at the BP petrol station on North Road to verbal abuse when she refused to sell him a jerry can shortly after midnight on Sunday, June 4.

The aggressive 27-year-old repeatedly screamed racist abuse at the distressed worker before customers stepped in to defuse the situation.

Garner, who admitted to drinking five or six bottles of Budweiser before the incident, then climbed into his transit van and repeatedly drove on and off the forecourt.

He drove away when police arrived but was stopped on nearby Arthur Street by officers and later found to be almost twice the drink-driving limit.

Garner was arrested and in interview continued his racist ranting, calling those who intervened at the petrol station “white Paki bastards”.

Magistrates at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court heard that he became visibly shaken when officers told him about the terrorist attack on London Bridge.

John Garside, prosecuting, said: “When informed about the terrorist incident, he told officers he had not been aware of the events.

“This conversation made him physically upset, he became bright red, teary eyed and hung his head in shame, saying he understood how much his behaviour would have upset this person.”

The victim said Garner’s comments were “very offensive and upset me greatly.”

Sonny Lawson, mitigating, said Garner had long-standing mental health problems, adding: “In the cold light of day he is appalled by his actions and recognises they were completely unacceptable.

“He does not seek to try and justify himself but he wishes to apologise to everybody concerned, especially the complainant, who has been very offended. This is someone who was intoxicated and lost control.”

Garner, of Bishopton Road West, was banned from driving for 18 months, ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and told to pay £150 compensation and costs.

The incident happened when Garner was still on licence after being released from prison over a separate offence. On Boxing Day 2014, he donned a mask and ran amok with a bat in a Teesside pub, injuring two customers and causing damage.