The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Taxi samaritans assaulted
A GAS engineer has been ordered to pay £1,000 to two female taxi passengers he punched after trying to gatecrash their cab.
Jamie McKenzie had initially been allowed to get into the cab by Jillian Cain and April Black but he turned on them when the driver tried to throw him out.
He attacked both women and has been ordered to pay them £500 compensation each, as well as being fined a further £500.
Depute fiscal Robbie Brown told Perth Sheriff Court: “It was 3am at the rank and these two ladies got into the back of a taxi.
“As it was about to move off, the accused got in.
“He said he was going a relatively short distance.
“They let him stay but his behaviour deteriorated to such an extent that the driver stopped the taxi.
“He got out and moved towards the driver.
“Jillian Cain got out and she took hold of him to pull him away from the driver.
“He turned round and punched her in the face,” Mr Brown went on.
“April Black got out to help and she was punched in the face.
“He punched Miss Cain again and struck her in the eye, resulting in her falling to the ground. “At that point, the accused made off.” Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said: “He had been in the company of a friend for the day.
“He hadn’t expected to be in their company for that length of time and had taken alcohol to excess and beyond.
“He has little recollection of this incident at all. He shouldn’t have struck anybody.
“These ladies intervened and he hit them but he was in such a condition he didn’t really know what he was doing.”
McKenzie, 27, Monart Road, Perth, admitted assaulting Jillian Cain by repeatedly punching her on the head and body to her injury.
He also admitted injuring April Black by punching her in North Methven Street, Perth, on April 7 last year.
He said: “I deeply apologise for it. I wasn’t in control of myself at the time.”
Sheriff Derek O’Carroll said: “This was a very unpleasant incident indeed.”