A passenger punched a taxi driver in the face leaving him with a broken jaw, a court heard.
Marc Lewis, 35, denied a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm but was convicted by a jury at Mold Crown Court by a ten to two majority.
The court heard Lewis had previous convictions including an assault in 2008.
Judge David Hale bailed him pending sentence on Friday so that he could see the probation service.
But that was no indication of the sentence that he would receive, he said.
Sion ap Mihangel, prosecuting, said Lewis, of Cae Llys Close in Connah’s Quay, had booked a taxi to take himself and his girlfriend to Connah’s Quay, on the night of June 13 last year.
Taxi driver Stephen Anthony Taylor drove the couple but Lewis asked him to stop at a kebab shop in Queensferry so that he could pick up some food.
The taxi driver explained that would not be possible because he had other customers to pick up but Lewis said he would have to stop anyway because he needed money from the bank.
When the taxi stopped for him to go to the bank, Lewis went to the kebab shop where there was a queue.
Mr Taylor approached him on two occasions and said that he would have to go, but the prosecutor said Lewis became threatening, was swearing, and punched him once to the chin.
Mr Taylor left the scene and drove away, but was unable to sleep that night and was in so much pain that he went to hospital, where it was confirmed that his jaw had been broken.
When arrested and interviewed, Lewis accepted that he was quite drunk that night.
Sneaky
During evidence he claimed that it had been pre-arranged that they should stop for the takeaway meal which he had already ordered.
He accepted that he had pushed Mr Taylor away and made contact with his face but was not aware of causing him any injury – and claimed he acted in self-defence.
Lewis accepted he had been a bit sneaky in going to the kebab shop after the taxi stopped for him to get cash but denied that he was being awkward and wanted his own way.
The defendant, who works as a machinery trainer for his father’s firm, was bailed pending sentence.
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/connahs-quay-man-punched-taxi-10946196
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