Ayr mosque roof climber jailed for two years after racist abuse and ‘Stop the boats’ flag incident

A fisherman who climbed onto the roof of a mosque in Ayr to attach a ‘Stop the boats’ flag and shouted racist abuse has been jailed for two years.

Kevin Goudie, 34, was sentenced at Ayr Sheriff Court after previously pleading guilty to scaling the roof of the Al Farooq Education and Community Centre and Mosque. The sentence was backdated to June 15.

The court heard that Goudie had more than 30 previous convictions. He was also subject to two bail orders imposed at Ayr Sheriff Court when the incident happened.

What happened outside the Ayr mosque

The incident followed a demonstration in Ayr on June 9. Around 100 people had gathered earlier at Wellington Square after an assault in Belfast prompted protests across Scotland.

CCTV footage showed Goudie climbing onto the mosque roof to plant a flag, shouting as he did so. The banner was described in court as a handmade flag pinned to a piece of wood measuring 6ft by 2ft.

As he climbed back down from the religious building, he was heard shouting a racist insult. The source reports that he was arrested several days later.

The court was told that Goudie was a fisherman by trade. His solicitor, Steven Maxwell, said Goudie had been extremely intoxicated at the time, while stressing that his condition did not excuse the behaviour.

Mr Maxwell said Goudie had been in the High Street with three other people before they reached the converted working men’s club that is now a mosque. He said his client could not remember making the offensive comment but accepted it may have been made in the way alleged.

The solicitor also told the court that Goudie had colleagues from a range of ethnicities in the fishing industry and that he did not know how the flag had come into his possession. He said Goudie intended to return to work at sea after his release, with the boat’s captain prepared to employ him.

Judge says mosque should be a place of safety

Sheriff Colin Pettigrew said Goudie’s conduct was reprehensible and that the message on the flag and the racist remarks were capable of stirring up racial hatred.

The sheriff said the offence had been committed while Goudie was subject to bail orders and described his criminal record as “appalling”. The court heard that his previous convictions, at both summary and solemn level, included breaches of bail conditions, non-harassment orders and community payback orders.

In sentencing, Sheriff Pettigrew said the incident could have caused significant emotional harm and might have encouraged others to behave similarly. He said it was especially concerning that the target was a mosque.

“A mosque, church or synagogue should be somewhere people feel safe and not fear being abused.”

The sheriff concluded that the custodial threshold had clearly been met and that there was no alternative to imprisonment.

Outburst after sentence

Goudie had been remanded in custody exclusively in connection with the matter since June 15, the court heard.

After hearing the two-year sentence, he shook his head in the dock as members of the public gallery reacted. He then complained that he was being jailed over a flag.

Family friends in court urged him to calm down before he was led downstairs to begin his prison term. The sheriff later told Mr Maxwell that he had not heard the full outburst, to which the solicitor replied that he would have to hear it later.

The case involved a place of worship in Ayr and followed a public demonstration in the town. Goudie’s sentence brings the court proceedings over the mosque incident to a conclusion, although the report also states that he has another, unrelated matter involving an assault.