South Yorkshire man boozer attacked taxi before assaulting the driver

Lee Cardwell began punching and kicking the taxi outside an address in Featherstone, near Pontefract, at 11.30pm, on June 24, last year, said prosecutor Brian Outhwaite.

When the panic-stricken driver struggled to engage the gear to drive off, Cardwell began hitting him through the window.

The driver was left with bruises and abrasions, and his bonnet was dented and the wing panel was damaged.

Around £1,000 of damage was caused and the driver lost a day’s earnings.

Cardwell later told police he couldn’t remember the incident because he suffers from memory loss, following a head injury in 2014.

He also claimed the driver had started the confrontation by driving at him, Mr Outhwaite added.

The incident put him in breach of a seven month sentence, suspended for two years, imposed in February 2019, after he assaulted a man in his own home.

Satpal Roth-Sharma, mitigating, said he is the sole carer for his son and receives benefits.

Cardwell, 26, of Beech Road, Doncaster, denied assault and criminal damage but was convicted after a trial at Leeds Magistrates Court, on September 8 last year.

Recorder Anthony Hawks described it as a "thoroughly unpleasant drunk assault" and a “disgraceful episode.”

He told him: "I suggest you start thinking about how to deal with situations without punching people."

The judge sentenced him to four months, suspended for two years, and ordered him to carry out 25 rehabilitation days

Cardwell was fined £100 and ordered to pay £150 compensation to the driver.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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