A man called a taxi to his Aberdeen home – then gouged at the driver’s eyeball.
Akter Miah wanted to go from his home address in Aberdeen to a job interview in the city centre on May 4 and requested a cab.
However, when driver Joney Thanabalasingham arrived, it turned out Miah did not have enough cash to pay the fare so the driver refused to take him any further.
That led to Miah, 34, “shouting and swearing” at the driver and “a scuffle ensued,” fiscal depute Lynne McVicar told Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
Miah, whose address was given in court as School Drive, Aberdeen, admitted behaving in a threatening, abusive and aggressive manner and also admitted striking Mr Thanabalasingham on the body, punching him on the head and scratching him on the head and body, to his injury.
Miah must now do 100 hours of unpaid work within eight months.
Ms McVicar told the court: “During this scuffle the complainer fell to the ground.
“The accused used his nails to scratch at the complainer’s right eye. This was a gouging incident.”
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The court heard paramedics were called to the scene to treat Mr Thanabalasingham for an injury to his eye. However he did not have to go to hospital.
Defence agent Peter Keane said: “My client fully accepts his behaviour was unacceptable.
“He was frustrated during this incident because when the dispute began, and the driver pulled up on Great Western Road, my client felt the driver had abandoned him in a part of Aberdeen he was unfamiliar with.”
At a previous hearing, defence agent Laura Gracie said Miah lost his bank card and only had £8 on him.
She added: “He was supposed to go for an interview at an Indian restaurant.
“He became more and more irate because the taxi driver would not take him to a main street.”
She added: “Clearly he missed the interview because he was in custody.”
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