Sheffield woman who put Nazi swastika on Ecclesall Road sign faces jail if she continues racial abuse

Joanna Laromani, aged 59, of Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, was involved in two racially-aggravated episodes of threatening behaviour outside a neighbour’s property and at a tennis court, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.

During the hearing on March 11, Recorder Matthew Happold told Laromani: “I Hope you realise that if you continue to do these things you will go to custody.”

Hannah Walker, prosecuting, explained Laromani was spotted on August 26, 2019, behaving in a “bizarre way” and going on about conspiracy theories and a Nazi swastika had been painted on a sold-sign outside a property on Ecclesall Road with the words “Good riddance racist”.

Ms Walker added when police arrived Laromani said they were “racist cops”, called one officer “a white f**king b**ch”, and she shouted racist insults and grabbed one officer by her neck.

Laromani was also involved in an incident on June 26, 2020, when she was approached by a woman at a tennis court at Millhouses Park, in Sheffield, who had booked the court where the defendant was playing with a child.

But Ms Walker said Laromani reacted by threatening to hit the woman if she did not leave and the defendant called her a “black b**ch” and she called the arresting officers “white supremacists”.

Laromani, who has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two counts of racially-aggravated threatening behaviour.

Caroline Abraham, defending, said Laromani is under-going a rehabilitative process and if she had been sober these incidents may not have taken place.

Ms Abraham added Laromani has been diagnosed with PTSD, bi-polar and personality disorders and there had been a deterioration at the time which may have been due to her use of alcohol.

Recorder Happold told Laromani she had also broken the sold-sign after she had abused the owner of the house concerned.

He added during the second incident Laromani had also threatened to hit the woman at the tennis court with her racket.

Recorder Happold sentenced Laromani to a 12-month community order with a two-month curfew, a rehabilitation requirement and an Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Programme.

He told her: “Please take this as an opportunity to address your problems.”