Mum made hate threats in eatery

Donna Saunders yelled at the boss of Riccardo’s pizza restaurant:“This is England – this is not your country.”

She also shouted at him that she would burn his shop down and added: “Get out of my country.”

Saunders, a single mother, 35, of Granville Avenue, Layton, denied racially aggravated behaviour causing fear of violence and behaving in a threatening manner, but was found guilty of both offences after a trial.

She was sentenced to a 12-month community order with up to 20 days’ rehabilitation supervised by the probation service, put on an eight-week curfew from 9pm to 6am from Mondays to Thursdays, ordered to pay £50 compensation with £350 costs and told to pay a £1,000 court charge plus £60 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said Saunders went into Riccardo’s pizzeria, Squires Gate Lane, South Shore, after her daughter claimed she had been involved in an incident there on April 27.

Saunders repeatedly made race-hate remarks to the boss, waved her arms about and tried to grab him.

The boss pointed out there was CCTV on the premises and Saunders was told the police were on their way.