Mobile phone ringtone landsfilm fan in court on race charge

Movie fan Martin Smith landed in court on a racism charge after he downloaded part of the soundtrack from the 80s comedy film Rita, Sue and Bob Too – and installed it as a ringtone on his mobile.

His friends and workmates got used to hearing the voice of an Asian actor reciting the words “I can’t help being a P***…” every time his phone rang and saw the funny side of it.

But a woman from a mixed race family wasn’t amused when his Nokia went off as she queued alongside him at a village shop.

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Over-hearing the clip from the movie – which chronicles the bawdy exploits of two schoolgirls growing up on a rundown estate in Bradford – the woman went home and lodged a formal complaint with the police.

Officers arrested the 36-year- old at home two days later, and locked him the cells at Chesterfield for four hours before charging him with contravening race relation laws.

The warehouseman hit out after magistrates fined him 191 with 85 costs for using racially aggravated threatening or insulting words or behaviour. He said: “If Channel 4 can put Rita, Sue and Bob Too on TV all the time, as they do, then why can’t I play a clip from the soundtrack on my phone. If it’s good enough for prime time TV then it ought to be good enough for me and my mobile.

“My ring tone wouldn’t have suited everybody, but the film’s my all-time favourite.”

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The court was told that the unnamed woman – who was from a mixed African-Mediterranean background – overheard the ring tone while she was waiting to be served at the grocery store near Smith’s home in the Derbyshire village of Holmewood.

Defending lawyer Jon Barber said that his client denied making a racist remark in front of the complainant, but accepted the woman may have been offended by the ringtone.

The solicitor added: “He thought it was amusing – but it’s a lesson learned.”