He threatened to slit people’s throats and told them to ‘go back to their own country’

Richard McLoughlin, 51, called his housemates ‘foreigners’ and that he ‘wanted them out of Newport immediately’. He also tried to enter the room of one who had to hold the door handle to stop them

A man threatened to slit the throats of housemates after smashing crockery in the kitchen before racially abusing them and telling them to “go back to their own country”.

He also referred to his housemates as foreigners and “wanted them out of Newport immediately”.

Richard McLoughlin, 51, was living at a multi-occupancy house in Newport but on March 28 he could be heard smashing crockery in the kitchen which woke up other people living in the property. Another resident told the defendant to be quiet, and he responded by threatening to break his jaw.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, May 28, heard the defendant made a threat to kill the resident and made an attempt to open his door.

Another resident called down to McLoughlin to keep the noise down, and the defendant responded: “Go back to your own country” and threatened to kill him and his son.

He shouted that everyone in the house was going to die in the morning, saying: “I will slit your throats, I have a knife.”

As a result of the commotion, another resident was awoken and heard the defendant call residents “foreigners” and that he “wanted them out of Newport immediately”.

One of the residents said he had to hold on to his door handle to prevent McLoughlin from entering his room.

The defendant was arrested but refused to be interviewed by a “non white” police officer and accused them of being “foreigners”.

McLoughlin, of Caerleon Road, later pleaded guilty to threatening a person with a bladed article, racially/religiously aggravated harassment, criminal damage, using threatening/abusive/insulting words or behaviour, and threats to kill.

The court heard the defendant has 18 previous convictions, including offences against the person and two offences against property.

In mitigation, defence barrister Paul Hewitt said his client had been drinking and returned home with food but had dropped a plate, which had disturbed other residents.

Since his remand in prison, the defendant has carried out a number of courses.

Recorder Simon Hughes sentenced McLoughlin to 21 months imprisonment.

Wales Online