Iain Hunter, 60, was called to appear in court following an incident that took place last May involving Edinburgh Airport's Chief Executive, Gordon Dewar.
The court heard how Mr Dewar “sprinted” the entire length of the airport car park to confront Mr Hunter, who was allegedly parked in a prohibited area.
Mr Dewar is said to have then sat on the bonnet of Mr Hunter’s car and began videoing the cabbie's licence plates.
According to the defence, the taxi driver became concerned for his safety, prompting him to attempt to drive away from the scene.
Sheriff Flinn heard how Mr Hunter started driving “slowly” towards Mr Dewar and then struck him - but didn’t cause him any injuries.
Following the incident, Mr Hunter allegedly called Mr Dewar a “p***k” and drove off.
Defence solicitor Paul Dunne insisted that the incident would not have happened were it not for Mr Dewar's "bizarre behaviour".
He said: “This incident would not have occurred if it wasn’t for the bizarre behaviour of Mr Dewar. His behaviour caused the entire incident to escalate out of control.
“I would ask your lordship to deal with this matter by way of absolute discharge. He has no previous convictions and no outstanding cases.
“If the matter cannot be dealt by way of absolute discharge then Mr Hunter will have to appear before the taxi licensing committee of Edinburgh City Council.”
“His vehicle has slight contact but not so much as to cause Mr Dewar to take a step back. It is the merest of touches”, he said.
Mr Dunne said that if Mr Dewar was concerned that the taxi driver was parked in a prohibited area, he could have check CCTV cameras to establish his identity.
He added: “None of this would have taken place if it were not for a chief executive who it would appear has nothing better to do than to enforce taxi parking regulations.
“I think it is fair to say that none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for Mr Dewar’s behaviour.”
Mr Dunne also raised concerns after police and the Crown weren’t able to disclose CCTV footage of the full incident, stating that no footage recovered captured the entire confrontation.
Mr Dunne added: “I find it impossible to believe that there’s not a square inch of Edinburgh Airport not covered by CCTV.
“It seems a little odd.”
While Mr Hunter pleaded guilty to a breach of the peace charge, Sheriff Flinn granted him absolute discharge - enabling him to continue work as a taxi driver as he will not have a criminal record.
www.edinburghlive.co.uk
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WAKEFIELD
Minimum maths and English standards needed by aspiring Wakefield taxi drivers to enter the trade will be lowered, following concerns their current exams are too hard.
Until now, drivers wanting a private hire licence from Wakefield Council had to pass Level 1 tests in maths and English - the equivalent of an old fashioned D or E grade at GCSE.
But the council's licensing committee was told on Wednesday that cabbies were being forced to answer exam questions that are "too difficult", irrelevant to the job and that the first-time pass rate is low.
One councillor told the meeting a taxi driver had asked him why he needed to learn to "bake a cake" after taking the exams, in reference to questions about imperial units.
They also have to learn about prefixes and homophones - words which have more than one meaning - to pass the English exam.
For the next six months at least, drivers will now have to pass Entry Level 3 exams, which are slightly easier than Level 1 exams.
After completing those, they then have to pass a knowledge test before they can get a licence.
Committee chair, Councillor Martyn Johnson said: "I've met some of the people who've taken the test and at the moment, it's like a nurse having to pass a doctor's exam.
Coun Dick Taylor added: "This change is something I've been arguing for.
"I remember being accosted by a taxi driver who wanted to know why he needed to bake a cake to be a taxi driver. He'd been asked about how many ounces, grams and currants in a cake
"It's something that's been on my mind for a while and I welcome it."
But Coun Elaine Blezard raised concerns that lowering standards would lead to problems in the trade.
She said: "I fought long and hard to get these exams (to be compulsory), because we were getting anybody and everybody applying to Wakefield Council for a licence.
"I agree maybe some of these questions are a little bit over the top.
"But I can't agree to this in full."
The committee decided to approve the new policy, but to review it after six months.
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