A WHITECROOK racist, who left a shop and returned armed with a shovel and beat up a shopkeeper, has been jailed for 19 months.

Kieran McInally, 24, of King Street, pleaded guilty at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week.

The court heard how McInally, currently serving a sentence at Greenock Prison on other matters, carried out a racist attack on shopkeepers at Mr Tasty, 20 Fleming Avenue, Clydebank, on November 10, 2017.

Prosecutor Martina McGuigan told the court that McInally acted in a racially aggravated manner and caused or was intended to cause alarm and distress to three employees. He was also shouting and swearing and uttering racist remarks and threats to all three workers.

McInally then assaulted one of the employees by throwing a Sellotape dispenser at him, striking him on the arm with the implement.

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry was then told how McInally left the shop and returned a short time later armed with a shovel, assaulting one of the male shopkeepers by repeatedly striking him on the arm and leg with the garden tool. He admitted being in possession of the weapon. At the time McInally was on bail from Dumbarton Sheriff Court, an order imposed on him on April 7, 2017, seven months earlier.

Defence lawyer Gail Campbell said: “He is serving a sentence at present and his earliest date of release is October 1, this year.

“Alcohol is no excuse but has been largely the basis behind McInally’s offending. He has taken proactive measures, while in custody, to rid him of his alcohol addiction. He cannot recognise himself when drunk and fully anticipates a custodial sentence.”

Sheriff Hendry told McInally: “You won’t be surprised that your earliest release date will no longer be in October. When you are finally released you will be on a supervised release order as you pose a risk of serious harm to the public.

“This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated and won’t be tolerated. You left these premises and came back armed with a weapon.”

The sheriff jailed McInally for a total of 21 months on all four charges, to run concurrently with each other, but were backdated two months to when he was originally taken into custody. The sheriff ordered the 19 months sentence to run from last week.

The sheriff added: “I will refrain, only just, from making the sentence consecutive to your present sentence.”

McInally was also put on a six months supervised release order.