TWO women racially abused a passenger on a bus, telling him to go home and stop wasting their taxes.

Lucy Bailey, 19 and Amber Davis, 21, both of Branksome Road, Moredon, pleaded guilty at Swindon Magistrates' Court to charges of racial abuse.

The court heard that the pair had been drinking in the Mail Coach pub on November 25 last year before they caught a bus home.

Once aboard the Thamesdown Transport vehicle they got into an argument with a group of men.

In his witness statement, the bus driver said the women had asked one of the men where he was from. The driver said the reply was either Albania or Romania.

The women then swore at the man, telling him to go home and stop wasting their taxes.

But the court heard there had been some provocation from the victim.

Rob Ross, defending, said that the man had been insulting the women's sexuality.

"They went to get on the bus and they were holding hands," Mr Ross said. "The male had been abusive to them, calling them stinking lesbians.

"This was almost certainly an isolated incident which was almost certainly provoked by a nasty sexual comment."

Sentencing them each to a 12-month conditional discharge, District Judge Simon Cooper said: "It is an unpleasant incident that went a step too far.

"I accept that there was provocation but you went too far."

Both women were ordered to pay £34 each in costs.

After the hearing, Jaginder Bassi, of Swindon's Racial Equality Council, said he was pleased race hate crimes were being taken seriously but he claims there is still more to be done in Swindon.

Mr Bassi said: "From the figures available to us from Swindon police there are a number of issues in relation to race hate crimes in terms of how many go to court.

"Over the last few months the detection rate has increased and we are working closely with police to ensure we are in line with national statistics.

"There is also the issue of witnesses being fearful of retribution.

"In general we are pleased courts are taking race-related crimes so seriously. This is what we would expect because it is the law."

Gareth Bethell