A Boston cop will likely forfeit his career but avoids any jail time for assaulting an Uber driver three years ago that one judge called a racially charged attack on a defenseless, terrified victim.

Michael Colin Doherty, 43, of South Boston was sentenced to three years' probation today by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Linda E. Giles, during which he must swear off booze, complete anger-management and alcohol-abuse programs and volunteer 100 hours of his time at the Greater Boston Food Bank, where Giles noted it will be a teaching moment for him to work alongside minorities.

Doherty, the jurist said, "was convicted of attempting to intimidate the victim because of his race. The defendant's hate-filled, racial bias of the moment is extremely troubling to this court, and has no place in a civilized society, which the defendant took an oath to protect and serve."

Nevertheless, Giles dismissed assistant Suffolk District Attorney Andrew Doherty's call for 6 months' incarceration in a house of correction for Michael Doherty, followed by 5 years probation, for the very same reason.

"Race matters in Boston. It matters in 2018," the prosecutor told Giles.

Luis Blanco, 31, the Uber driver an off-duty and drunken Michael Doherty jumped from behind in Blanco's Toyota Prius on Jan. 4, 2015, as he was being driven from the North End to Southie, said he'd like an apology.

He did not get one.

In fact, on the advice of his counsel Rosemary Scappicchio, who plans to appeal, Michael Doherty, a former corrections officer, said nothing at all.

"I really don't know where we stand," Blanco told the court. "An apology would be nice because that evening there were many times when this could have been avoided. Even after I was going through hell, I was still being a gentleman. I don't understand why, but I'm grateful that's who I represented myself to be. That's who I am. I know I'm a good person.

"I definitely don't want the worst for Mr. Doherty. I truly don't," he said. "But if this person was armed, would they have killed me that night?"

The officer verbally threatened to kill Blanco during the incident and, when Blanco managed to escape, briefly fled in the Prius, according to court documents and testimony.

"He said, 'You think I'm an idiot? I'm going to kill you, you (expletive) (racial slur),' " Blanco testified last month.

Scappicchio said the Boston Police Department has already initiated proceedings to fire her client. She said the chances of his law enforcement career surviving his conviction are "slim to none."

Michael Doherty, she said, was the only child of two parents he lost to alcoholism when he was very young.

Still, she said. he put himself through college and, "He did his job with honor and respect."

But during a time of stress in his life, "He self-medicated with alcohol. Mr. Doherty certainly should have sought assistance … but he didn't. And the stress built and built. He has been in AA since this happened . He has not touched a drop of alcohol in 40 months."

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statment today: "The defendant’s conduct that night was reprehensible. His words and actions have no place in civilized society. They represented a crime against the victims, who were doing nothing more than trying to work for a living, and they were a slap in the face to countless police officers who work hard every day to earn the community’s trust with honor and professionalism. Racially-motivated violence by anyone, sworn or civilian, will be investigated and prosecuted, and no one should ever be afraid to report it.”