Bristol father in court over bus abuse

A drunk father-of-four caused havoc on a Bristol bus before falsely accusing police of racism as they tried to arrest him.

Christopher Kariba drank three bottles of wine mixed with vodka before harassing passengers on a bus in Shirehampton on February 2.

Bristol magistrates heard he was "getting up in their faces" until the bus driver told him to "zip it".

Kirsty Allman, prosecuting, said the 32-year-old, of Sevier Street, Montpelier, then went to sit near the driver and started talking to him.

The driver could see a family law book on Kariba's lap and noticed a knife fall out of it, onto the floor.

He saw two police cars nearby, pulled over and told them he thought the defendant had a knife.

Police boarded the vehicle and, swearing at two officers, Kariba said: "You're picking on me because I'm a black man!"

After he refused to be searched, police took him off the bus and handcuffed him as he continued to swear and be abusive.

They later found the knife near the back seat of the bus, but Kariba was not charged for having an offensive weapon.

Kariba admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour and failing to appear at court earlier this year.

Mitigating, Diane Heys said the defendant was suffering a "personal crisis" at the time, having split up with his ex-partner, suffered abuse at the hands of her new boyfriend and he had been unable to see his young children that day. He had gone to get the family law book from the library before going on a drinking binge and taking painkillers.

Magistrates gave Kariba a one-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £85 in costs.

The court heard he already owes £2,644 in compensation and fines from previous offences.