A MAN and his stepson appeared in court following a fight with a taxi driver over the cost of a fare from a pub.

During the dispute over the £13 charge, Gareth Birt ripped off the cab aerial, kicked the door and pulled the interior mirror off.

And during a second dispute with another taxi driver, Birt refused to pay the fare, racially abused the driver and bit his thumb.

When police arrested him he struggled violently and set off a CS gas canister he claimed to have found in the back of the police van.

Appearing before Bolton Crown Court Birt, aged 21, of St James Street in Farnworth, had earlier admitted racially aggravated assault, common assault, possessing a prohibited weapon, criminal damage and escape.

His stepfather, Alan Jones, aged 46, of Walmersley Road, Bury, admitted a public order offence.

Prosecutor Julian Taylor said the first offence involved both men after they had been picked up by a taxi driver from the Brick Croft pub in Bury. It was claimed they had agreed the fare at £13 but the driver started the meter when they entered the cab.

Birt became abusive and ripped off an MoT disc, pulled the interior mirror off, ripped the cab aerial away and kicked the door of the cab as it drove away. The driver, Fazal Tahir, estimated the total damage at £300.

In the other incident last October, Birt took a cab from Moorside Taxis in Bury to go a nightclub in Bolton. But when he got to Bolton he refused to pay the £10 fare.

The taxi driver locked him inside but Birt grabbed his hand and bit his thumb and was still clinging to the man's thumb as he scrambled out of the taxi. Police arrived and Birt struggled with the officers.

The officers finally managed to get him inside the van but when they got to Bolton Police Station their eyes became irritated.

When they opened the doors they found Birt holding a small can of CS gas which he claimed he had found in the back of the van. The officers said they had checked and the van had been empty when Birt was placed inside.

The court heard Birt was of previous good character and Jones had a record stretching back to 1970.

Recorder Beverley Lunt said taxi drivers provided a public service, worked unsocial hours and had to deal with drunks and that the courts should protect them from racial abuse and violence.

She sentenced Jones to a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered Birt to serve 100 hours Community Punishment Order.

She also sentenced him to a two year Community Rehabilitation Order which includes anger management and alcohol abuse classes.