A VANDAL with "extreme views on foreigners" denied smearing racist graffiti all over a school while high on drink and drugs.
A stream of offensive and racial obscenities were scrawled on Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School, in Russell Hill Road, Purley, last August.
Although Ross Brown, 20, pleaded guilty to £800 worth of criminal damage, he denied daubing the racist abuse all over the school - so the charge was dropped.
At Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday, Brown, of Sprucedale Gardens, Wallington, was sentenced to 60 hours of unpaid community work.
Hamish Reid, prosecuting, told the court the school's caretaker had called police on August 8, when he noticed graffiti of a "racist nature against the black community" scrawled over windows and walls. However, the employee cleared the black marker off before forensic evidence could be gathered.
At a hearing on December 17, the court heard graffiti including "KKK rule" and "I will kill you n****rs and cut off your feet" had appeared on school property.
The prosecution said the caretaker called police a second time when he saw a young group of people in the school grounds on August 21. After they left the scene, he saw racist abuse on the white boards.
Police were then able to link Brown by analysing the discarded beer cans and cigarette butts.
"Brown was interviewed by police on October 14 and said his memory was very poor because he was high on drugs and alcohol," said Mr Reid.
"He had been with people on both occasions and did not accept the racist abuse was him.
"He did accept he had extreme views where foreigners were concerned but denied they went there with the intention of doing any damage; they were just chilling."
The prosecution then said the connection of Brown's "extreme views" and the "racist abuse" was "too much of a leap to say it was him rather than someone else".
Instead, Brown pleaded guilty to criminal damage. His defence lawyer, Laurence Imrie, said Brown admitted damaging school tables but that "criminal damage was not on his mind".
Mr Imrie said: "It appears he made these offences with naivety, peer pressure and foolishness.
"He is remorseful over what he has done."
The defence also said Brown struggled through school and was in the middle of setting up an online sales company.
Judge Nicholas Ainley said: "This was vandalism fuelled by drink and drugs."
Brown was sentenced to 60 hours of unpaid community work and must pay a £60 victim surcharge.
