A Douglas man who assaulted a bus driver and hurled racial abuse at a playground has been put on probation for two years.

Connor Thomas Collister grabbed the driver by the shoulder, telling him: ‘I’m going to get you a*******,’ after being denied a free ride.

On a separate date, he made threats at the playground in Westmoreland Road, telling someone: ‘I’ll f****** slice your neck,’ before making a racial slur.

Collister pleaded guilty to common assault, and two counts of threatening behaviour.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood also banned the 28-year-old from licensed premises for two years and ordered him to pay £150 compensation to the bus driver.

We previously reported Collister, who lives at Mona Street, tried to get on a bus on New Castletown Road in Douglas on July 15.

He asked for a free ride and when the driver refused, he was said to have turned aggressive, grabbing the driver by the shoulder and saying: ‘You’re messing with the wrong man. I’m going to get you a*******’

On the same day, he threw a metal barrier towards a man at the Brown Bobby, while shouting ‘c***’ at him, and kicked the petrol station door.

In court, Collister entered a basis of plea regarding those offences, saying that he had not intended the barrier to hit the complainant, and that he had thought that the man had made a comment about him first.

He said that he had been suffering mental health issues at the time of the offences.

On October 19, Collister was close to the children’s playground at Westmoreland Road in Douglas.

A number of members of the public were there, with children also present.

Collister was said to have become verbally abusive, shouting and swearing.

He said: ‘I’ll f****** slice your neck. I’m going to slash your kids in a horrific way.’

He also made a racial slur during the abusive tirade.

The people there said that they feared for their safety and one civilian recorded the incident.

Police were called and they found Collister at Tynwald Street, where they described him as smelling of alcohol, and arrested him.

During an interview, the defendant initially answered ‘no comment’ to all questions, but then asked the interview to be paused.

When it resumed, he handed in a prepared statement, saying he had not intended to threaten anyone and said he had not intended anyone to believe what he was saying.

He claimed that the people in the park had made comments towards him, were laughing, and had started to film him.

In December 2023, Collister was sentenced to an 18 month probation order for affray.

Defence advocate Helen Lobb said that her client had been engaging well with probation services.

She said that Collister wanted to apologise to the bus driver and passengers who had witnessed the incident.

Ms Lobb said that the defendant was now doing charity work and that he was a vulnerable individual.

She said that all the offences had been committed under the influence of alcohol and that Collister would welcome a licensing ban.

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood told the defendant: ‘It seems clear your offending has its root in your misuse of alcohol.’

Collister was also ordered to pay £125 prosecuting costs, which he will pay, along with the compensation, at a rate of £10 per week, deducted from benefits.