An Elgin man has been jailed for six months for assaulting a taxi driver after a night out.
Conor McGregor lashed out at Craig Macdonald after being dropped back at the taxi rank by another cabbie, who had become uncomfortable with his “aggressive behaviour”.
The court heard Laura Blakesley had originally picked the 23-year-old up, but went back to the taxi rank and called out to Mr Macdonald for help.
McGregor then hit Mr Macdonald so hard in the head he suffered memory loss.
McGregor previously admitted the offence, which happened on September 5, and appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court for sentencing yesterday.
Fiscal depute Ruaraidh McAlister told the court: “Ms Blakesley felt uncomfortable with the accused’s aggressive behaviour, and made the decision to return to the taxi rank with him.
“Mr Macdonald was within his taxi when she pulled up behind him on the High Street.
“He became aware of Ms Blakesley shouting for him and realised something was wrong.
“He got out of his taxi and at that point the accused punched him to the side of the head, before leaving the scene.
“Mr Macdonald was taken to the accident and emergency department at Dr Gray’s Hospital where he seemed to be suffering from amnesia and confusion.”
The incident occurred while McGregor was on bail after previous violent behaviour landed him in Inverness Sheriff Court, and he was remanded in custody on September 7.
Earlier this week he was jailed for five months in relation to that offence.
Yesterday McGregor’s solicitor Stephen Carty said anger management was “an issue” his client had to deal with.
Mr Carty added: “He has been aware for some time that anger management really is an issue for him.
“He is striving to address this, but he accepts the only way the court can deal with this matter is by way of a prison sentence.”
Sheriff John Halley referenced McGregor’s “concerning” record of assault convictions before sentencing him to six months behind bars.
The sheriff added: “There is an interest in making sure that taxi drivers working in those hours are protected from people like you.”
