Thug convicted after waging two-year homophobic hate campaign against his own cousin. He blamed it on ‘bad manners’
Stock image. (Envato Elements)
A man who waged a two-year homophobic hate campaign against his cousin tried to blame his victim’s “bad manners” in a court appearance.
Mahir Eroglu, 45, bombarded his cousin with homophobic abuse in a series of phone calls and text messages over the course of two years.
He was also charged with stalking his cousin, with reported incidents in Best Kebab in Keptie Street, Arbroath and Marmaris in Peterhead.
Eroglu, from Peterhead, Scotland, pleaded guilty yesterday before Sheriff Gregor Murray at Forfar to the charges, The Courier and Advertiser reports.
The man threatened violence against his cousin and told him his business – a kebab shop – would be damaged.
Peterhead man Mahir Eroglu claimed he enacted a two-year homophobic hate campaign because of his cousin’s ‘bad manners’.
Eroglu’s campaign of hate began on 1 March, 2018, and ended on 22 April of this year.
He initially represented himself in court, where he claimed that he had initiated the campaign of hate because of his cousin’s “bad manners”.
Whatever may be the cultural perception in your homeland of your cousin’s relationship, it does not entitle you in this country to seek to abuse and threaten him.
Sheriff Murray told the man that he had “pled guilty to a very serious offence”.
“Whatever may be the cultural perception in your homeland of your cousin’s relationship, it does not entitle you in this country to seek to abuse and threaten him,” he added.
“I can see that the background of your former business relationship with him, and the reasons for it breaking up, may have contributed to what you did.”
Eroglu will be sentenced next month following the completion of a criminal justice background report.
He was granted bail by the court, but was banned from entering his cousin’s kebab shop, Best Kebab, in Arbroath.
His bail was granted with a number of special conditions and restrictions.
