James Thomas, a 30-year-old from Swansea, was branded a 'silly billy' by magistrates after his first baby-free night ended in court following a dispute over a taxi fare.
The Incident
Thomas attended a Christmas party at the NEC in Birmingham with his partner. After the event, they took a taxi to the Crowne Plaza hotel. Thomas believed his employer would pay for the fare, but when the driver requested payment, he became angry and destroyed the side window of the cab.
Prosecutor Ms Begum told the court: "The defendant had believed their employer would pay for the taxi and he became upset when they realised it was not the case." The defendant's girlfriend paid the outstanding fare, and Thomas offered to pay for the damage.
Court Hearing
Thomas, who has 20 convictions for 37 offences including two of a similar nature, pleaded guilty to criminal damage. Representing himself, he told magistrates: "I hadn't drunk for a long time. We have a 10-month-old and I didn't drink through the pregnancy. This was the first time we had a babysitter – a baby-free night. I got a bit carried away and got a bit drunk. That's what happened."
Sentence
The chair of the magistrates told him: "Obviously it's not for me to tell you that you were a silly billy that night." They added: "We don't want to see you again, and you don't want to see us again. You can disappear back to Swansea now."
Thomas was ordered to pay £694 in fines and costs, plus £200 compensation to the taxi driver, who lost earnings while his damaged taxi was out of service during a busy period.
