Woman abused and hit taxi driver who refused fare

The woman left her bank card in the taxi which led to her identification

A woman who hit and racially abused a taxi driver who refused her fare told a court the slur was a "slip of the tongue".

Amy Thompson, 32, got into the taxi in Carlisle, Cumbria, but after a discussion with the driver about payment, he declined to take her.

The city's magistrates' court heard how she refused to get out, made a racially abusive comment and hit the driver on the head.

Thompson, of Westwood in Morton, Carlisle, admitted racially abusing the man and was given a six-month, night-time curfew and ordered to pay £200 compensation.

In a statement, the driver, who has lived in the country for 30 years, said racial abuse made him "feel sick".

"I feel I cannot fight back - the way people discriminate against me because of the way I look makes me feel embarrassed," the statement added.

'I'm not racist'

Prosecutor Diane Jackson told the court the attack happened after police were called and told Thompson it was the driver's right to decline a fare.

She added that the defendant had left her bank card inside the vehicle and had given her address to the driver.

"This resulted in her being identified and arrested for the offence," Mrs Jackson said.

Thompson told magistrates she had planned to pay the fare once she reached her address and had been allowed to do so previously.

She said: "I'm not a racist - it was literally a slip of the tongue, to be honest.

"I was very drunk, I had had a horrible day."