A drunk threw a bin at a taxi and smashed its wing mirrors during a booze-fuelled rage when he was asked to pay the fare upfront.
Jordon Woods and a pal had got into the Blueline cab in Longbenton and were in the process of being driven to North Shields when the driver realised he'd picked up the wrong people.
A court heard that the cabbie's head office told him to get the fare from the men before continuing the journey and Woods suggested he pulled over at a petrol station.
But instead of coughing up the cash, the 22-year-old bought booze then flew into a rage.
Magistrates were told that dad-of-one Woods, who has six past convictions for criminal damage, grabbed a nearby bin and threw it over the bonnet of the taxi before striking the wing mirror as the panicked driver tried to reverse away.
Now, the mindless vandal, of Esplanade Avenue, in Whitley Bay, has been given a 12-month community order and ordered to pay compensation after he pleaded guilty to the seventh criminal damage offence of his lengthy criminal career.
Marc Atkins, prosecuting at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court, said Woods and a friend were collected from an address in Longbenton on the evening of October 20 this year.
But, while they were travelling along the Coast Road towards their North Shields destination, the driver received a message from a call handler at his head office.
Mr Atkins continued: "It said that he'd picked up the wrong two males, so he should ask them for the money for the fare upfront.
"He did so and one of the males suggested he stopped at a BP garage, which he did.
"The defendant and the other male went into the shop and bought alcohol. On returning to the vehicle, both males refused to pay the fare.
"After a short time, they got out the vehicle. The defendant picked up a green bin and threw it over the bonnet of the taxi.
"The complainant panicked at that point and tried to reverse away. The defendant then struck the passenger side mirror twice, causing it to fall off."
The court heard that both Woods, who has 36 offences on his record, and his friend made off but were later caught by police.
However, he refused to comment during a subsequent interview.
Mr Atkins said that the taxi driver had been left shaken and was "concerned about the damage to his vehicle and his safety" because he thought Woods was "capable of further damage or possible assault".
Kash Khan, defending, said Woods hadn't committed a criminal damage offence since 2018 and was apologetic for his drunken behaviour.
"He recently celebrated the birth of his first child," the solicitor continued.
"Although he's not in a relationship with the mother of the child, he does have contact with the child and would like that to remain the case."
As well as the 12-month community order, Woods, who is already on a tagged curfew for breaching his post sentence supervision after his last stint behind bars, was ordered to pay £300 compensation.
