DUBAI // A drunk Briton grabbed the steering wheel of the taxi he was travelling in, telling the driver not to worry because he was an Emirati, a court heard this week.
The taxi came to a halt and LL, 35, a sales executive, chased the driver out of the taxi before returning to the vehicle and kicking it repeatedly, causing damage worth Dh1,860.
Prosecutors said the Briton hailed the cab at about 3am on April 20 after a drinking session in the nightclub of a Jumeirah hotel.
“He sat in the front seat and then turned on the music very loud and started dancing, he then grabbed my shoulder and the wheel while I was driving,” recalled the driver RN, 29, from Bangladesh.
“I turned down the music but he turned it up again then when I told him not to grab my arm as I drove, he told me not to worry because he was an Emirati.
“I got frightened, parked the car and ran off.”
The Briton followed him out of the car and chased him before returing to the vehicle to kick its body.
The level of alcohol in LL’s blood was 189mg/dl.
The man, who had been living in the UAE for five months, said that the driver had refused to drive him.
“On the way, the driver stopped suddenly and asked me to get out of the car. I insisted he drive me to my destination but he refused and, when I got angry, I kicked the car, so he called police.”
The Misdemeanours Court convicted the Briton of consuming alcohol without a licence. He was fined Dh2,000.
salamir@thenational.ae
