A young man who went into a newsagent's shop to talk to the shopkeeper about a forthcoming court case ended up hurling abuse at the man.

Cameron Perry, of Allen Close, Wheathampstead, called the man a "Sri Lankan p...." And an P... b......"

But the abuse was caught on camera by police officers who attended the shop and caught his offensive behaviour on the body cameras they were wearing.

As a result, 21 year old Perry was arrested and today appeared at Luton crown court to admit a charge of causing racially aggravated harassment to the shopkeeper on the evening of March 4 this year.

Kevin West, prosecuting, told how that night went into the shop in New Town Street, Luton to talk to the Asian shopkeeper about a court case that was coming up.

The prosecutor said that, as a result, the man called the police who went to the shop.

Their body cameras captured the moment he hurled the abusive remarks at the shopkeeper and he was promptly arrested.

Jon Harrison, defending, said Perry, who has a young child and who is shortly to become a father for the second time, had behaved "dismally and despicably."

He said he had spent £300 that day on alcohol and cocaine and had then gone to the shop.

The barrister said Perry now accepted that when in drink "he is not a pleasant person to be around."

Passing sentence, Judge Richard Foster said what had come across was the fact that Perry was a defiant young man who didn't like discipline or any authority and who liked to get his own way.

"When you don't, you are prepared to lash out," he said.

He sentenced him to six months imprisonment, but suspended it for 12 months and placed him under the supervision of the probation service for the next 12 months.

In addition, he was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and, for the next three months, will be the subject of a three month electronically monitored home curfew between the hours of 8pm and 6am.