Zack Boakye-Yiadom (22), of Common Lane, and Connor Ian James Maher (22), of Clos de Balmain, were each fined £750 for committing a grave and criminal assault on the man at the Weighbridge at about 2.10 am on 7 July.
Shortly before the assault, the victim called one of the assailants a ‘f***ing ni**er’.
During sentencing, Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris said that it was accepted that racist abuse started the incident.
‘Racist abuse demeans the person who makes such remarks much more than it does the person who they are aimed at,’ he said.
Describing the incident, Advocate Sarah Dale, who was defending Boakye-Yiadom, said the victim had started the trouble moments earlier by bumping into the defendant and his friend and shouting at them.
She said that when initially challenged by the victim, her client pushed him away and said he did not want any trouble. She said that the victim responded by saying: ‘Of course you don’t, you f***ing ni**er.’
Advocate Debbie Corbel, defending Maher, said her client went to help out his friend. ‘The CCTV footage shows that the alleged victim clearly started the violence and a decision was taken by the police not to pursue him,’ said the lawyer.
The court heard that the unknown man did not provide his name or make a complaint to the police. Consequently, the prosecution was unable to give any indication of injuries, the court heard.
The court was told that Boakye-Yiadom had punched the victim and both defendants had aimed kicks at him.
Police legal adviser Simon Crowder said that when questioned by the police, neither of the two defendants could recall being involved in the incident as both said they had been drinking alcohol.
Both defendants were first-time offenders and entered early guilty pleas, the court heard. Advocate Corbel said that Maher’s employer described him as ‘trustworthy, reliable and honest as well as a hard worker’.
In sentencing, Mr Harris said that he accepted that the first move came from the unknown victim, and that the defendants had become violent after hearing racist language.
