A CIVIL engineer hurled racial abuse at a fish and chip shop owner after a “prank” got out of control, a court was told.

An altercation was sparked when Michael Killeen, of Sea View, Easington, grabbed an order slip for other customers and refused to give it back when visiting the shop in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, last month.

When the police arrived the 46-year-old shouted protested his innocence, hurled abuse about "foreigners" and other racial expletives.

David Maddison, prosecuting, told Peterlee Magistrates’ Court: “A member of staff removed the receipt from his hand and he responded by punching the till, causing some plastic to break.”

When the police arrived Killeen became aggressive and began using abusive and racially offensive language.

Robin Ford, mitigating, said: “He feels he was playing a prank by taking the receipt, then it got out of control.

“Mike is a friend of mine and we have mutual friends who are, ironically, Asian and own a fish and chip restaurant in Hetton-le-Hole.

“He was fully contrite in his interview, expressed remorse and was very upset by his choice of words.”

He added: “There is nothing that you can do that will punish him more. His new wife and he were visiting her relatives and parents in the Kings Lynn area and he would have had to explain why he had not come home, which would have been an interesting conversation.”

Killeen, who admitted a racially aggravated public order offence and criminal damage, was given a conditional discharge for 18 months and was ordered to pay £200 in compensation.