Not so much about the job as about someone who just happened to be a taxi driver, but will be a travesty if he gets to keep his badge.
Taxi driver cut man's face with car keys after lashing out during fight in Cleethorpes
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Bassam Najee, 41, admitted assaulting the man, causing actual bodily harm, and was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court
A taxi driver with a grudge against another man angrily lashed out at him with a car key during a fight and caused nasty face injuries.
He "went right over the top" and used a bunch of keys to add extra force to his fist - and he had another violence conviction, a court heard.
Bassam Najee, 41, of Heneage Road, Grimsby, admitted assaulting the man, causing actual bodily harm, on August 27 last year.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the other man had been out drinking in Cleethorpes when Najee arrived in his taxi.
He dropped off a fare and the two men recognised each other from earlier problems between them.
Najee shouted an obscenity at him and got out of his taxi. There was a fight and Najee hit him in the face with his car key, causing a laceration 7cm long and 2mm to 3mm deep.
Door staff intervened and the man broke free from Najee. He went to hospital.
Najee had a previous conviction for an offence of wounding.
Andrew Bailey, mitigating, said father-of-two Najee pleaded guilty on the day of a scheduled trial. He hoped to be able to continue working as a taxi driver.
The probation service said that Najee claimed that he tried to reason with the other man but did not stop to think that he had the keys in his hand. He also was injured.
He was very remorseful and was ashamed.
Recorder Christopher Knox said: "It was using a bunch of keys to add weight to the defendant's fist.
"You were at odds with him and had been at odds with him for some time. You went right over the top.
"Fortunately, there was no knife involved. You should not have been doing this sort of thing.
"You messed around and pretended you weren't guilty."
Najee was given 120 hours' unpaid work and was ordered to pay £250 compensation and £500 costs.
