A violent row between two Gatwick cleaners over a broken mop led to one of them being jailed for two months at Crawley Court on Monday.
Tony Vitulli of Haroldslea Drive, Horley, appeared for sentencing after being convicted at an earlier trial of a racially aggravated assault at the airport's North Terminal last October.
Ann Toynbee prosecuting said at the time of the offence the defendant and a London man, Farhan Warsane, were carrying out cleaning duties near The Avenue retail area in the terminal.
Vitulli took Mr Warsane's mop and replaced it with his own which was broken and when accused of switching mops made an offensive racist remark and head butted him.
The victim suffered facial injuries which kept him off work for three days without pay.
Defending, Tim Leete said Vitulli, 24, accepted the assault charge but denied it was racially motivated.
Mr Leete said: "He says he did not make a racist remark. The other man accused him of taking a mop and leaving a broken one in its place and he lost his temper. Mr Vitulli does have a temper problem."
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