A former Launceston man racially abused four Bhutanese migrants and pushed two of them off a pontoon into the water at Sidmouth, the Launceston Magistrates Court heard.
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Kyle Douglas Fazackerley, 20, now of Sydney, pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault and a count of behave in an offensive manner on September 25, 2021.
The court heard that the complainants from Bhutan, in the Himalayas, did not speak English.
Police prosecutor Rob Shepherd said Fazackerley and his father Jarrod Matthew Fazackerley and a woman were on a small cub-style vessel on the Tamar River.
"They approached a small pontoon at Sidmouth and the four complainants were at the end of the pontoon fishing," he said.
"The accused began yelling 'you f---ing Asians go back to your own country'."
Mr Shepherd said the complainants tried to get their reels in, but Kyle Fazackerley and his father got involved in a physical altercation on the pontoon with Karna Gurung and Tul Rai.
"The altercation resulted in both being pushed into the water by Jarrod Fazackerley," he said.
"The defendant and Jarrod Fazackerley approached Karmal Hangkira as he tried to help the others out of the water and the defendant and his father pushed him into the water."
"Mr Hangkira cannot swim and swallowed water before reaching the pontoon."
Another member of the group provided assistance and attempted to retrieve the fishing equipment.
"The defendant ran to the end of the pontoon and threw the fishing equipment into the river," he said.
Messrs Fazackerley then ran to the car park and left the scene in a Mitsubishi Pajero.
Mr Shepherd said a witness filmed some of the incident on a mobile phone. Police intercepted the vehicle on the East Tamar Highway.
In an interview with police, Kyle Fazackerley said he lost his temper and he scruffed a guy back when he was scruffed.
He said a female from the fishing party and a female he knew were "going at it".
He claimed to police he did not make a racist statement but said: "My country is not f---ing yours, go back to your own country".
Mr Shepherd said he told police "I don't use weapons, I have got two right here [his fists]".
Kyle Fazackerley said he did not disagree with any of the facts put by Mr Shepherd.
In sentencing, Mr Stanton said that racial abuse was offensive to any right-thinking person.
"I need to send a clear message that your behaviour is wrong and will not be tolerated in our multicultural society," he said.
Mr Stanton said Fazackerley was young and had no prior convictions.
But he said that he had shown no remorse despite his plea of guilty.
He fined him $800 on the two charges.
Fazackerley's father Jarrod Matthew Fazackerley, 38, of Rocherlea, faces three counts of assault.
Mr Stanton adjourned the case for a hearing in November and scheduled one witness to give evidence from a protected witness room.
Police allege Jarrod Fazackerley assaulted Tul Rai by pushing him into water.
He is alleged to have assaulted Karna Gurung by grabbing his throat and pushing him into water and Kamal Hangkira by pushing him into water.
Mr Shepherd said the hearing would involve 10 witnesses.
Mr Fazackerley said he was expecting that the case would have finished today and said that considerable costs had been incurred from flying his son to Launceston.
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