A man who vandalised a Pride mural has been ordered to write an essay about the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Last summer, to mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of 49 people at the Orlando club, a rainbow mural was unveiled in Delray Beach, Florida.
However, just a few days later, residents noticed 'tire skid marks' stretching around '15 feet across the painting'.
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Footage from a mobile phone later showed an Alexander Jerich driving a pickup truck, carrying a Donald Trump flag, in an 'unsafe manner' near the scene.
According to police, the 19-year-old had attended a huge 30-car rally for the former US president on 14 June.
The affidavit said: "The video clearly shows a white Chevy truck stopped at the intersection, and then intentionally accelerated the vehicle in an unreasonable unsafe manner in a short amount of time … The Chevy truck continues to recklessly skid sideways.
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"The video shows that the driver wilfully drove the vehicle with disregard for the safety of any other persons or property."
The teenager was identified using licence plate recognition software.
He eventually turned himself in and pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and reckless driving.
Jerich also agreed to pay a fine of $2,003 to have the mural repaired.
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At a hearing last week, Jerich failed to explain why he did it but apologised, saying: "I’ve had problems in the past with fitting in. I was just trying to fit in and be accepted."
Despite calls from an LGBTQ+ rights group for the teen to be sentenced to a year in prison, Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer said he needed to think about the correct punishment.
He told Jerich: "I was expecting someone who displays complete disrespect for their fellow citizens… A person some might call a thug or a redneck.
"This is not the person I was expecting."
While he decides the sentence, Judge Suskauer ordered Jerich to write a 25-page essay on the 2016 shooting at the nightclub.
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He told him to think about those who were killed and take time to do some research into the heinous crime.
Judge Suskauer said: "I want your own brief summary of why people are so hateful and why people lash out against the gay community."
Despite the judge telling Jerich to work with LGBTQ+ groups as part of the punishment, Rand Hoch, the president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, said none wish to be associated with him.
Jerich has also been ordered to go to an intersection each week and make sure it is clean.
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He will be sentenced on 8 June.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]