A PREGNANT woman and her family were threatened with a knife in a racist attack.

Now Stephen Flanagan is facing up to 10 months behind bars after he was sentenced for what the Crown Prosecution Service described as an “unprovoked racist attack”.

Southampton Crown Court heard how the 66-year-old turned up at the victim’s house acting in an aggressive way.

His actions scared the victim, who was 9-months pregnant, and frightened her two young children.

After the victim asked Flanagan to leave, he then returned with a five-inch knife and shouted racist abuse towards her family while he stood on their driveway.

The victim’s partner tried to calm Flanagan down and he left once more only to return later to throw a bin at the victim’s front door.

Flanagan assaulted a police officer at his home later that night when he was being arrested.

In the victim’s statement, she told how her two year-old daughter is now scared of every noise she hears outside the house, fearing it is the defendant with a knife. 

She said: “The racial abuse he shouted towards me that night is unacceptable.

"Colour should not come in to any conversation in a derogatory manner - we are all people at the end of the day regardless of our origins.”

Mr Flanagan is now behind bars after being sentenced to 10 months in custody for possession of a knife, racially aggravated intentional harassment, criminal damage and assaulting a constable. 

Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service in Wessex, Steve Hoolohan said: “We would like to thank the victim and witnesses for their support during the prosecution.

"People should be able to feel secure in their homes, living without fear and abuse because of the colour of their skin.

“We hope the justice served today means that they will be able to move on with their lives and sends a message to the community that we will not tolerate this behaviour and will prosecute those responsible.”