A fare dodger who skipped out on an £8 taxi fare will now find himself £320 out of pocket after pleading guilty to fare fraud.
Scott Smith, 20, got in the cab at the rank outside the Filling Station on Academy Street, Inverness, and asked the driver to take him to his home in Mackintosh Road.
But when he arrived at the address he did a runner, failing to return and pay the fare as promised.
Fare dodger guilty of fraud
Smith was not present at Inverness Sheriff Court where his solicitor Clare Russell entered a guilty plea to a single charge of fare fraud on his behalf.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood told the court that the incident occurred at around 5.30pm on February 12 of this year.
She said: “The accused approached the witness, a self-employed taxi driver at the Filling Station on Academy Street. He asked to be taken to Mackintosh Road.
“Upon arrival the accused stated he was just going to quickly go into his father’s address to obtain his father’s bank card to pay.”
Taxi driver waited to be paid
When Smith did not return as promised, the driver eventually decided to report the matter to police.
Officers used CCTV footage from inside the taxi to identify the accused, who was later traced and charged.
In mitigation for Smith, Ms Russell said her client had been drinking on the day in question.
She said: “Mr Smith doesn’t have an explanation to offer, he was under the influence of alcohol at the time and accepts responsibility.”
Sheriff Shelagh McCall fined Smith £320.
