A warehouseman who sent "offensive" material about Asian people on a fax was ordered to do 40 hours of community service.

Allan Smith, 32, of Hambleside, Bicester, sent the "joke letter" about housing Asian families to a friend who had a day off work.

Other employees at the friend's firm spotted the fax, found it offensive and the police were later informed, Bicester Magistrates' Court heard yesterday.

Smith was later dismissed from his job at Morleys of Bicester, in Arkwright Road, for gross misconduct.

Smith pleaded guilty to the charge of sending a message or other matter that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, offensive or menacing character, under the Telecommunications Act of 1984.

Jenny Jonkheer, prosecuting, told the court that Smith first revealed the letter while working part-time in a Piddington pub on July 6 this year.

Smith was unable to photocopy the letter but agreed to fax it to a friend who happened not to be at work the next day.

Miss Jonkheer said: "The fax was picked up by other people who found it offensive.

They read it and felt it was very offensive."

Paul Redpath, defending, said his client was not a racist and that the letter was meant as a joke.

He added: "One man's meat is another man's poison. He deeply regrets what he has done.

He had no intention of causing offence."

Chairman of the bench Frank Nelson said: "We consider this material to be offensive to the Asian community. Indeed, we felt it was offensive to us."