Man jailed 10 months for racially abusing UK Muslim bus driver

39-year-old Michael Mongan identified through footage, arrested for spitting at driver, hurling Islamophobic slurs

ANKARA:

A man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in the UK for racially abusing and spitting at a Muslim bus driver, authorities said.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Michael Mongan, 39, “unleashed a tirade of racist abuse and spat at the driver after being denied entry when his payment card was declined” on Aug. 7 in Hayes.

In footage that went viral on social media last week, the man is seen spitting at the driver and hurling Islamophobic slurs, repeatedly yelling "Muslim terrorist" and using expletives. He also insisted the driver get off the bus while hitting his protective screen.

He was identified and arrested on Aug. 9.

“His actions have been connected to the recent scenes of disorder as police and prosecutors believe Mongan was emboldened in his actions by the incidents of violent unrest which unfolded across the country,” the CPS said.

The incident took place at a time when the UK has been in turmoil for days, with violent far-right rioters spewing racist and Islamophobic vitriol targeting Muslims, minority groups, and immigrants.

The riots were fueled by false claims spread online that the suspect arrested for the July 29 fatal stabbing of three children in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Authorities have since identified the attacker as Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old teenager born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, but this has done little to deter far-right mobs.

As of Aug. 8, a total of 483 people have been arrested, while 149 charges have been filed in connection with riots in towns and cities across England.