A RACIST man who sent a teenage girl 'disgusting and vile' messages after picking her at random from Facebook has been spared jail, with a judge choosing to give him a nine-month suspended sentence because he is disabled.

Cameron Mackay selected the young girl to be the target of his abuse after seeing from her profile picture that she had a mixed race boyfriend.

As well as sending her abusive text messages the 29-year-old also called her mobile phone and told her boyfriend's dad he would rape her.

After hearing that prison would be particularly difficult as he has cerebral palsy Recorder Alastair Malcolm QC suspended the jail term.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the 17-year-old girl first received a text from an unknown number last summer.

Although it used her name it only said 'hello' and was signed 'an admirer'. She replied telling the sender she was only 17, and then received a message reading 'It doesn't matter, the things I would do to you'. Her dad advised her not to reply.

Miss Hingston said she heard no more until April this year, when she got a message from another number saying 'hello' and using her name.

She then received a number of racist texts making reference to the colour of her boyfriend saying 'he looks like a darky to me' and using the N word.

The texter also made reference to her having a job at a coffee shop in Devizes or Calne, which was correct.

On one occasion Mackay phoned her and after saying hello she handed the phone to her partner's dad.

"The voice made some sort of threat saying he was going to rape her and then laughed. Following this the family did go to the police," Miss Hingston said.

Mackay was tracked down from the number and when he was questioned he said he had picked on her after seeing a phone number on her Facebook page.

He said that he had selected her to send the abuse to as she had profile picture of her with a mixed race partner.

Accepting he had done what was alleged, he said that because of his condition he had been branded a 'cripple' and 'spastic' over the years.

While he accepted sending the messages to the youngster he denied saying that he would rape her.

He said that his motivation was to 'send hate' as he was bored and it was fun, telling officers he was 'a nasty chap who wanted to be hateful'.

In a victim personal statement the teenager told the court she had been left devastated by the offending and was physically sick at one point,

Mackay, of Yeoman Way, Trowbridge, pleaded guilty to sending an indecent or offensive message.

The court heard he had a number of previous convictions including one for a racially aggravated public order offence.

Mike Pulsford, defending, said that his client had picked the victim at random and was sorry for what he had done.

He said Mackay needed crutches to get about as a result of his condition and was a very angry young man.

Recorder Alastair Malcolm QC said "You pleaded guilty to a committing a disgusting and vile, and terrifying, offence, as far as your victim in concerned.

"You say that you have suffered abuse so you of all people should know the effect of what you did.

"It is not the first time you have committed a racially aggravated offence of this nature: in 2010 you did it and you were given a chance of completing a thinking skills programme. You don't seem to have taken advantage of that."

He imposed a nine month jail term suspended for two years with 25 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.