THE CITY council said it would ‘not tolerate abuse’ – after a man who shouted ‘p****’ at a call handler was fined.

Jonathan Clarke, 42, was given the £120 fine by Oxford magistrates on Thursday after he admitted making the nuisance call last July.

READ MORE: 'Good neighbour' called council official a '*****'

He called up the city council’s call centre asking to speak to someone about an issue he was chasing with his neighbours. He was told there was no one there that he could speak and suggested he could send an email.

In reply, Clarke told the call-handler: “You’re a Spanish p****.” He sang down the phone, to an unspecified tune: “La, la, la, I’m a foreign p****.”

In a statement, a spokesman for Oxford City Council said: “We aim to treat all of our customers fairly, politely and with respect at all times and we expect the same in return.

“We will not tolerate any form of abuse against our staff and will take action to protect them where needed.”

Fining him £120 and ordering he pay £75 in compensation, chairman of the bench Helen Robins told Clarke: “No public official should be abused in that way.”

She said that the bench recognised the victim was a public official ‘doing his duty’.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward