A 40-year-old woman in the UK has been found guilty of racial harassment after verbally abusing hotel staff during an incident in Cheshire.Kate O’Halloran, an Irish national who lives in Littlehampton, West Sussex, admitted the crime at Warrington Magistrates’ Court.
She was fined £614 and ordered to pay £331 in costs and surcharge.The court heard that the incident occurred at the Holiday Inn in Runcorn on January 17, when police were called after reports of a very drunk woman behaving aggressively towards staff, according to the Daily Mail.Prosecutor Omar Zeb told the court O’Halloran misbehaved when he asked for a replacement key card at reception.“A 999 report was made from the Holiday Inn in Runcorn of a severely intoxicated woman who was verbally abusive to staff.
“It was anti-English abuse.”He added that during the conversation, she made statements including: “It is a living being” and “All British people must die.”According to the prosecution, O’Halloran later returned to the reception area and directed further abuse at staff.Zeb said: “She became verbally abusive and said they should burn in hell, and ‘all Britons should burn in hell.’ “She said to both staff: ‘go away and die’.”
The court was told O’Halloran had no previous convictions.Her lawyer, Peter Green, said the incident was out of nature and related to alcohol consumption.He added: “This is completely out of character. No previous convictions have been recorded against her.”“Alcohol clearly played a part in this offence. Miss O’Halloran’s memory and recollection are somewhat hazy. She feels frightened by her actions.”During sentencing, Judge Paula Jones acknowledged her guilty plea and remorse.“You obviously acknowledge your remorse, which makes a big difference in these cases, and take responsibility for this crime,” she said.After the hearing, O’Halloran was informed that the conviction would form part of her criminal record.Official figures show that in the year to March 2025, police recorded around 98,000 race-related hate crimes in England and Wales, with a large proportion of them involving victims who identified as white.
