A 21-year-old who threw rocks at a taxi when its driver declined to help him start his car avoided a jail sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday.
But Jools Grant was told by Sheriff Margaret Neilson to “grow up” after a sequence of offending and to “take the opportunity” to stay out of custody.
She ordered him to carry out the maximum 300 hours of unpaid community work and placed him under a year’s social work supervision as an alternative to prison.
Sentence had been deferred for a background report on Grant, of Springfield Gardens, who had previously admitted behaving in a threatening manner towards the taxi driver. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting him by punching him on the head and brandishing a knife at him on January 12.
Depute fiscal David Morton said the driver was picking up a neighbour of Grant’s when the accused asked him for help.
He said Grant took exception when the driver said he could not because of having a passenger.
He threw three or four punches, striking the driver on the face, then threw rocks and other items at the taxi when the man drove off.
The taxi driver stopped along the road when his wing mirror was struck and went back to see where Grant was.
It was at this point that he appeared brandishing a knife.
Solicitor Rory Gowans said at the earlier hearing that Grant had been drinking heavily and had no recollection of events.
