A Swedish man who said he would “kill all negroes” and threatened the Maltese mother of two adopted African children was yesterday given a suspended jail term.

Nicklas Roland Sturk, 43, from Pembroke, insulted his neighbours, Christine and Peter Grima, and a migrant refuse collector, Youre Ali, on June 13 at about 8am.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke heard that the Grimas were in their house when there was a commotion outside after the African children they adopted boarded the school bus.

They saw Mr Sturk arguing with an elderly neighbour and the matter escalated when the defendant started hitting his neighbour’s car with his hand, prompting Mr Grima to phone the police.

He shouted ‘you let immigrants run your country’ at Maltese neighbour and said he would kill every negro

When the neighbour drove off, the couple heard the accused uttering insults and saying that he would “kill all negroes”.

Ms Grima said that, some time later, she helped Mr Ali by carrying some of the rubbish to the street corner.

She heard Mr Sturk repeatedly saying “you f****** Maltese bitch, helping negroes”. She ignored him and told Mr Ali that it was best for him to do so too.

As she walked back to her house, the accused ran up to her repeating the same words.

He came very close and she had to raise her hand to ward him off.

She then saw him push Mr Ali to the ground. She rushed to help him and Mr Sturk backed off, shouting more racist insults.

When Mr Ali left, the accused turned to Ms Grima and started shouting at her again, telling her: “You f****** stupid Maltese, you let immigrants run your country” and repeating that he would kill every “negro”.

The court noted that, according to the police report on the incident, officers could clearly hear threats being made against black people.

Mr Sturk said that when he returned from Paceville at about 8am he saw a black man on his doorstep and he reacted by pulling him down the stairs.

Neighbours tried to stop him and it was then that he had the altercation with the elderly neighbour.

He insisted that he reacted the way he did when he saw Mr Ali on his doorstep because of an assault he had suffered a few weeks before.

At the time, he had been attacked by two people who, he said, were black.

He was stabbed and had a laptop stolen in the attack and thought his assailants had returned.

The court was “convinced that when the defendant used the language that he did he was aware that his aggressors were not present and that the person he saw [Mr Ali] was the refuse collector”.

The magistrate found him guilty of inciting racial hatred and creating a disturbance. She sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.