Fife brothers who refused to pay a £27 taxi fare after one pulled the handbrake of the moving vehicle have ended up with a £500 compensation bill.
James and Ryan Beattie – with a young boy – were picked up from Halbeath park and ride for a journey to Cardenden at 10.15pm on December 9 2023.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard how they were “boisterous” and “jolly”, with James Beattie in the front of the taxi and his brother and the child in the back.
Prosecutor Azrah Yousaf said when the taxi was near the town’s Station Road, James Beattie “pulls the handbrake on when the car is traveling at about 30mph”.
She said: “The taxi driver is able to bring the car under control and stop.
“He told James Beattie not to touch any part of the car whilst he is driving.”
Ms Yousaf said after the handbrake incident, the older accused had made an allegation the taxi driver attempted to touch him inappropriately but the driver told him not to be ridiculous.
The fiscal told the court she mentioned this to “show their frame of mind at the time of the offence”.
Taxi chaos
As the taxi slowed at the destination, James Beattie, 41, got out and indicated he was not going to pay the £27.50 fare.
As they left, the driver said: “You cannot just leave the taxi and not pay for it.”
The fiscal continued: “Both started to shout at the taxi driver and the driver followed them in his taxi for about 50 yards.
“Both continued to shout at the driver, telling him to ‘f**k off’.
“At that point one of the accused, I think Ryan Beattie, has broken the wing mirror of the vehicle.”
Police were contacted and officers traced the Cardenden brothers.
The fiscal depute said the cost of damage was £20 but stressed the taxi driver lost earnings.
Sentencing
James Beattie admitted culpably and recklessly engaging the handbrake while the car was in motion and both brothers admitted fraud and vandalism.
James Beattie’s defence lawyer, Lyndsey Barber, said her client was “no stranger to court” and the behaviour was “absolutely repugnant”.
The solicitor said her client, who works full-time, has been dealing with the impact of a close family member receiving a difficult health diagnosis.
The lawyer said Beattie has instructed her to apologise and suggested he could pay a monetary penalty.
26-year-old plant operator Ryan Beattie’s defence lawyer, David McLaughlin, said his client acknowledges his conduct was “appalling”.
The solicitor said Beattie was in the criminal justice system throughout his late teens and early 20s but since this incident, he has one conviction at Justice of the Peace level and no other outstanding cases.
Sheriff Susan Duff ordered the brothers to pay £250 each in compensation to the taxi driver.
She ordered James Beattie to do 180 hours of unpaid work and Ryan Beattie to complete 162 hours.
The sheriff told them: “Failing to pay for the taxi and breaking the wing mirror has cost you £500, so that was a good deal wasn’t it?”
Past crimes
The brothers appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court last year for causing chaos at Dundee railway station on the day of a football match between Aberdeen and Dundee United.
James Beattie shouted to an Asian couple “get back to your own country” and later brandished a glass bottle after getting off at Dundee, where he was met by police.
In 2014, James Beattie was hit with a three-year football banning order after being jailed for ten months for shouting sectarian abuse about former Celtic manager Neil Lennon.
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