Man 60, who racially abused ex-BBC presenter is fined £400 - then tells judge there is 'no chance' of him staying out of trouble

By JAMES TOZER, NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT and IAN LEONARD Published: 14:57, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 14:59, 4 June 2026 A man has been fined for racially abusing former BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake during a night out. Graham Groves, 60, drunkenly called Mr Arthanayake a 'P***' and also used the n-word when the pair chatted outside a pub in 2023. At the time the 55-year-old presented Afternoon Edition on the station - but later quit his £145,000-a-year role after saying working at the 'overwhelmingly white' BBC was bad for his mental health.  Today a judge told Groves that the words he used have to be considered 'in the context of the times we are living in where we have people trying to toxically divide societies'. After Groves admitted racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, Recorder Imran Shafi KC fined him £400, saying he did not believe he was a racist. The judge then warned him: 'Be nicer to people when you're out and don't get yourself in trouble again.' 'No chance of that,' Groves replied. The incident happened outside the Old Market Tavern pub in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, in April 2023, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. Nihal Arthanayake (pictured) contacted police saying he had been racially abused outside a pub by a 'drunk' man who called him a 'p***' and used the N-word Graham Groves (pictured arriving at court on a previous occasion), 60, was today fined £400 after admitting racially aggravated harassment Nick Roxborough, prosecuting, said Mr Arthanayake had gone to the venue at around 10pm to collect his wife who was on a work night out. While waiting outside he asked if he could sit next to Groves, who he described as being in 'good spirits'. As they got chatting, Mr Roxborough said Groves asked if he could call Mr Arthanayake 'Nick' because he 'struggled' to say his actual name. A drunk Groves then asked if he was a doctor, causing him to 'laugh' and question why he'd been asked that. 'In his experience, he thought it was a racial stereotype,' Mr Roxborough said. Groves responded by telling Mr Arthanayake: 'Because you're a P***.' He told Groves he couldn't use the term 'because it was upsetting'. But Groves used the racist term again, and went further by using the word 'n*****'. Mr Arthanayake didn't think the second term was intended for him, Mr Roxborough said, but was said to 'get a rise out of him'. Told by the judge 'Be nicer to people when you're out and don't get yourself in trouble again' before he left court, Groves (pictured) replied: 'No chance of that.' Mr Arthanayake and his wife then left but he described the incident as 'deeply upsetting'. Groves, of Stretford, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour. John Richards, defending, said his client was 'mortified' by what he said but couldn't remember the incident. 'He's not a racist person and people he's worked with have never seen that side to him,' he said. 'He's worked with people of all ethnic backgrounds and doesn't recognise that person.' Mr Richards added: 'He's horrified by what happened. 'He wishes to truly apologise to him for the obvious upset that was caused.' The judge said he didn't believe Groves was a racist and 'there's a difference between that and using racist words.' 'To you they were just words albeit said in a drunken state,' he said. 'But I hope you can reflect that they were serious and distressing. 'His feelings or how he perceived the words that were said have to be judged in the context of the times we are living in where we have people trying to toxically divide societies.' Mr Arthanayake had previously spoken about the incident in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He wrote: 'I have thought about this, and discussed it with my wife. It is important that I highlight this man's behaviour. 'I am someone who has seen this kind of behaviour before, but if he abuses an elderly Asian pensioner, that would be wholly unacceptable.' He added: 'As my wife and I come from London, and I was born in Essex, we are used to some kind of bubble when we are down there. 'We have moved to the North as I work for the BBC here. London is far more ethnically mixed than places like Altrincham.' In August 2023 the father-of-two, who is of Sri Lankan descent, hit out at BBC chiefs for telling him off for standing up for himself against online racists. And he later said he had seen a 'lack of diversity' in his workplace over a long period of time. That came just weeks after Mr Arthanayake said working at the 'overwhelmingly white' BBC was bad for his mental health. He had worked at the broadcaster since 2002, presenting a range of shows across Radio One and the Asian Network before joining 5 Live as co-host of Afternoon Edition. But he quit his role in June 2025, saying the corporation is in an 'existential crisis' and that he 'couldn't be happy there any more' and wanted to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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