Courts in Moray: Lossiemouth man Thomas McLean admits assaulting taxi driver
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A Lossiemouth man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a taxi driver who pulled up while he was having an argument.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard that Thomas McLean turned up drunk at the home of one of his relatives at about 4.30pm on November 3.
The 26-year-old tried to go inside the property.
However, the relative who was outside speaking to someone else, refused McLean entry because her children were inside.
Fiscal Depute Victoria Silver stated the relative told the defendant he was not welcome.
The prosecutor then described McLean as getting "angry and aggressive".
At this point a taxi happened to pull up at the house.
The court heard that McLean seized hold of the driver and dragged him out of the car.
The defendant then punched the man in the body and pulled him onto the ground, before jumping across the bonnet of the taxi.
Later, after the taxi driver had left and the relative had gone into her house, McLean threw a stone which broke a downstairs window in the property.
McLean, whose address was given in court papers as St Margaret's Crescent, Lossiemouth, pleaded guilty to one charge of assault and another of criminal damage.
He also admitted a further charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.
Defence solicitor Iain Maltman stated his client had been drinking on the day of the offence and had "little memory of the incident".
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov decided to delay passing sentence on McLean until the cost of the damage had been assessed.
