Young estate agent narrowly avoids jail after racist comments
Kevin Hanley, it has been reported, was given a suspended jail sentence after falsely claiming he had been the subject of racist abuse during a minor driving incident in Gravesend.
An estate agent in Kent has narrowly escaped jail after a minor altercation between him and another driver turned ugly.
Kent Online reports that in May last year 25-year-old Kevin Hanley phoned police to report that he had been the victim of racist abuse after a minor disagreement with another driver on a road in Gravesend (pictured). The other driver had mistakenly pulled out in front of him.
Hanley, who had only been an agent for five months, claimed during his 999 call to police that the other driver, who he said was a Muslim, had racially abused him but a subsequent police investigation, which included viewing dashcam footage from one of the vechiles, found this not to be true.
Hanley claimed during the call that the other driver, a teacher, had threatened to attack him and smash his car and also told police that “I am a local estate agent and he’s trying to tarnish my career”.
But after being interviewed by officers and continuing to claim he had been the victim, and before the case came to court in January, Hanley changed his mind and pleaded guilty to ‘wasteful employment of police’, although at the subsequent sentencing hearing, he was told this could have been the more serious crime of perverting the course of justice.
Law broken
At the latest hearing, Judge Lead said that Hanley was the one to have broken the law and been the aggressor during the incident, which included him braking harshly in front of the teacher’s car and making racist comments.
Judge Leake jailed Hanley for 17 weeks for the offence but suspended the term for 24 months. Mitigating circumstances for his discrimination considered included mental health issues, his previous unblemished record and, the court heard, a significant cocaine habit plus ongoing debts.
Hanley was ordered to pay the teacher £500 compensation and must also pay a victim surcharge of £154 and £85 court costs and must carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 rehabilitation sessions.
Pic credits: Google Streetview/social media/Kent Online
