A Leicester man who threatened to have Hezbollah bomb the Mayor's office following a dispute over housing benefits has been sentenced at Leicester Magistrates' Court.

Adam Buchiya, of Pluto Close, Highfields, made the threats during a phone call to Leicester City Council customer services on October 21 last year.

During the conversation concerning Buchiya's housing benefits, he became increasingly agitated when told he needed to sign additional paperwork.

He threatened to "tell Hezbollah to put a bomb in Peter Soulsby's office" and made racist remarks about council staff.

A Leicester man who threatened to have Hezbollah bomb the mayor's office following a dispute over housing benefits has been sentenced at Leicester Magistrates' Court

Leicestershire Police arrested Buchiya following the incident and he pleaded guilty to sending an offensive communication and appeared for sentencing on June 2.

Prosecutor Tracy Lovejoy told the court that Buchiya "became more agitated as the call went on" whilst speaking to customer services about his stopped benefits.

Despite being warned that his behaviour was "not acceptable" and would be reported to police, he made the threat a third time.

He also called staff members "bloody idiot white people" during the call.

Hezbollah's military wings are proscribed by the UK as terrorist organisations

The court heard that Buchiya had a previous conviction from 2023 for similar behaviour, which had resulted in an injunction preventing him from making abusive comments to the council's housing staff.

Defence solicitor Bal Singh told the court his client had "no ties to Hezbollah, Hamas or anything else of that sort" and didn't know where Sir Peter Soulsby's office was located.

He explained that Buchiya had been admitted to the Bradgate Mental Health Unit in 2019 under the Mental Health Act and remained an outpatient.

Singh said his client "fully accepts the comments he made about Hezbollah and bombs was not appropriate behaviour."

Leicestershire Police arrested Buchiya following the incident

The prosecution requested a new civil injunction to replace the existing one, which expires next month, that would ban Buchiya from using abusive language towards any council employee or councillor.

However, magistrates declined to impose the new injunction.

Chairman David Maguire said: "He has already found out that if he abuses people that's a crime, and he will end up back in court."

Buchiya received a 12-month community order with 10 days on probation programmes.

In addition, he was fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £114 victim surcharge.