A British man who punched an Uber driver who ordered him to get out of the vehicle for farting has been sentenced.
The Bristol Crown Court heard on Wednesday how James Mallett was intoxicated when he ordered an Uber with three friends to a nightclub in Kingswood, Bristol.
"As he was driving the defendant broke wind," prosecutor David Scutt said during sentencing, Bristol Live reported.
The Uber's driver Aleksander Bonchev found the fart "offensive", having earlier been abused by a series of abusive passengers and ordered Scutt to leave the vehicle.
But instead of leaving, Mallett punched Bonchev in the head.
The court heard Bonchev tried to defend himself by punching Mallett in the face and knocking him to the ground.
"A young lady with Mr Mallett persuaded him to leave," Scutt said.
"They walked off towards Forest Road and police located him in Forest Road, Fishponds. He was spoken to, he was injured and had a cut to his bottom lip. He was plainly intoxicated."
Scutt said that Mallett was abusive to police and claimed the taxi driver assaulted him.
From the incident, Bonchev suffered severe repercussions and returned to his home country Bulgaria.
“Mr Bonchev sustained a broken finger, he was unable to work, lost his job with Uber, lost his accommodation and lost his car,” the court's recorder Alexia Power said.
“All because he was doing his job that evening.”
Mallett pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual harm in November 2019 and has now been handed a six-month jail term suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay $965 in compensation and complete 120 hours of unpaid work.
