Drunken man punched taxi driver in the face after being asked to leave cabhttps://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/som ... er-3779539The incident happened near FromeA drunken man who was asked by a taxi driver to leave his cab after he kept having to stop for him to be sick reacted to his request by punching him in the face.
The driver was getting fed up of constantly having to pull over for Laurence Webb to vomit on the roadside and dealing with his abusive behaviour.
After returning the £40 to the defendant’s girlfriend Webb reacted by pushing him back into his vehicle and then launching the blow leaving him with a cut and bruised cheekbone.
Webb, 26, of Elephant Lane, Southwark, pleaded guilty to assaulting the taxi driver by beating him during the incident at Woolverton, near Frome, on June 29 last year.
Somerset Magistrates, sitting at Yeovil, were told that on the night in question the defendant had been out drinking to celebrate getting a new promotion at work.
Prosecutor Suzie Butler said that just after midnight the taxi driver picked up Webb and his girlfriend from Bath railway station and agreed to take them home to Frome.
“He asked for £40 up front as the defendant was drunk and the fare was paid by his girlfriend,” she said.
“During the journey Webb frequently requested him to pull over so he could be sick and on the second occasion the driver decided he did not want to carry on with the fare and returned the £40 to Webb’s girlfriend.
“He said he could not continue due to Webb’s aggressive and abusive behaviour but the defendant then ran towards him and pushed him up against his vehicle.
“He then swung a punch to his face which connected with his left cheekbone causing a cut and bruising.”
The defendant was arrested and taken to Keynsham police centre and when later interviewed said he had been out with his partner that night who was pretty sober.
He said they visited a few bars and when he wanted to go home several other taxis had refused to take him due to his drunken condition.
He said the victim agreed to take him but said that when he felt sick he would have to raise it with him so he could pull over.
Webb said that he felt sick but was “dry heaving” most of time and nothing came up but the driver then stopped in a layby near the Red Lion pub and said he couldn’t help him anymore then got into his girlfriend’s personal space disputing the fare money.
He claimed he had pushed the driver in self defence of his partner saying he did not assault him but changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the offence in court.
The victim later said it was a very uncomfortable situation to have to deal with and said that Webb was agitated and he felt quite scared.
Defending solicitor Patrick Crossman said that Webb had been out with his partner celebrating a work promotion and accepted he drank far too much.
“He wrote a letter of apology accepting his wrong-doing and since then he has substantially reduced his alcohol intake,” he said.
“My client is remorseful, embarrassed and apologetic for his behaviour and has also been diagnosed with a number of mental health issues including ADHD, Asperger Syndrome and PTSD but still holds down a responsible job.
“He bitterly regrets his actions.”
Chair of the magistrates Robert Graydon told Webb: “You put the taxi driver in a really awkward position and someone of your age should have known better.
They fined the defendant £557 and ordered him to pay the victim £100 compensation. Costs of £85 and a £55 victim surcharge were also imposed.
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