A former Army lance corporal grabbed a ticket inspector around the throat and threatened to “snap” his arm in a row over his Tube fare, a court heard.
Ian Paxton, 33, attacked Vince Fitz-simonds on a Piccadilly line train heading to Heathrow after refusing to hand over his bank card for a routine payment check.
When Mr Fitzsimonds took Paxton’s driving licence to note his identity, the soldier-turned-private bodyguard grabbed him by the throat and forced his right arm behind his back, shouting “I’ll snap it.” The inspector said he feared Paxton, who boxed while in the Army and is now a close protection specialist, would break his arm during the incident on August 20 last year.
Paxton, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, denied assault, claiming he acted in self-defence and believed Mr Fitzsimonds was a bogus ticket inspector trying to scam him. But he was convicted after a trial at City of London magistrates court and ordered to pay £150 compensation and do 100 hours of community service.
Mr Fitzsimonds said the incident with Paxton, from Worcester, was his “worst experience” in his 25-year career as an inspector.
