Two women urinated in front of a Muslim family who were praying in a park.

Natalie Richardson, aged 32, and 36-year-old Claire Farrell deliberately dropped their trousers within metres of the couple and their children reports the Plymouth Herald.

The friends themselves had six children with them at the time, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

Richardson and Farrell were handed suspended prison sentences.

the court heard the Muslim couple were in the park with their children, aged eight and ten.

Both were of Syrian descent and had been in the country for many years, on a teacher and the other who worked in surgery.

They began this prayer as they picnicked near the play area in the park at about 6pm.

A passer-by Wesley Smith, among many people nearby, spotted Farrell and Richardson with about six children ranging from a baby to young teenagers. The two defendants were overheard to say: ‘If those Muslim c***s start to pray I am going to piss in front of them’.”

Farrell shouted out: “Not in Plymouth”.

The court heard that both defendants, holding bottles of beer, ran up the hill towards the victims, 'stopped some two to three metres away and proceeded to pull down their lower clothing, squatted down in front of the couple and urinated in front of them while making desultory comments'.

The couple’s daughter burst into tears.

Mr Smith intervened, only to be pushed in the chest with both hands by Richardson.

Recorder John Trevaskis said: “Nobody in civilised society could see your behaviour in any way justified or acceptable, not in the multi-cultural society in which we live. I describe it as disgusting.”

Farrell, of Peel Street, Stonehouse, and Richardson, of James Street in Devonport, both pleaded guilty to religiously-aggravated threatening and abusive behaviour causing harassment on August 16.

Richardson also admitted the common assault of witness Wesley Smith.

A statement from the mother read to the court said, “I found it particularly shocking was how these women displayed such offensive behaviour to people who were praying.

“A lot of horrific things have happened in the name of Islam which we do not condone at all. A lot of people are branding us the same as terrorists.

“This incident just served to increase the fears for both myself and my children.”

She concluded that her experience in Plymouth had been generally positive.

The judge praised the public spirit of Mr Smith, a 28-year-old former serviceman, for intervening during the incident.