TWO black nurses were racially abused while using computers at Hereford library, a court heard.

At Hereford Magistrates Court Debbie Jones, 40, of Union Walk, Hereford pleaded guilty to racially aggravated intentional harassment/alarm/distress in words.

Kerry Lovegrove, prosecuting, said the incident took place on November 17 at around 1pm at Hereford library in Broad Street.

She said: "On this occasion the defendant has entered the library while in drink and went to use a computer. It was then that the first computer she went to was broken and she became aggravated."

Her behaviour was described as being completely inappropriate.

There were two black nurses working at the computers at the time called Patricia Igbokwe and Vicky Mbonu.

Ms Lovegrove said Jones then racially abused the nurses.  

A friend of the nurses went to get help from library staff.

Jones then told the nurses they shouldn't be there.

In a victim statement Ms Mbonu said she was a proud Nigerian woman who would not let the comments get to her. She said she had lived in England since 1990 and said: "I have suffered racist abuse many times in the past and would not let it bother me anyway."

Ms Igbokwe said the abuse left her feeling upset and said they did nothing to provoke the outburst.

Ms Lovegrove said the defendant said in interview that she had been drunk and told police she did not have a grudge against black people.

She said she was sorry and said she would apologise to the nurses directly.

Marilena Divitantonio, mitigating, said Jones needed to go to the hospital as she had an infection in her leg and asked for the sentencing to be adjourned.

She said in a separate matter an application has been made for a criminal behaviour order and a psychiatric report had been made.

Sentencing was adjourned until December 19.