A Douglas man has been put on probation after he threatened to kill a taxi driver during a row.

Luke Alan Leonard Compton, of Tennis Road, admitted offences of being drunk and disorderly and property damage.

He was put on probation for 12 months and banned from entering licensed premises, and purchasing or being sold alcohol for six months.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court that on February 23 at 11.10pm, Compton got into a taxi on Victoria Street in Douglas.

Due to a previous dispute over payment, the driver refused to drive Compton which prompted the 29-year-old to become aggressive.

He told the driver if he didn’t give him a lift home he would kill him.

Compton eventually got out of the taxi and slammed the door, causing the window mechanism of the Volkswagen Passat to break.

The window would not close properly and the car had to be taken out of service.

The court heard that a doorman at the nearby Artisan bar witnessed the incident and told Compton to calm down. However, Compton was said to have approached the bouncer with his fists clenched, swearing, telling him where to go and saying: ’I’ll do what I want.’

The bouncer restrained Compton on the ground until police arrived.

When interviewed, Compton admitted he had been reckless in causing damage to the car door saying that he was drunk and accepted he had behaved in a disorderly manner.

A probation report said that Compton had said he did not recall making the threat to kill the taxi driver.

He told probation that the previous week he had been in the car with the same driver who had taken him to the Co-op cash till in order to pay a £6 fare but his bank card had failed to work.

Compton had asked the driver to take him to another cash till but the driver had refused and told him to get out of the car.

Compton said that, on the night of the offence, he had money and had initially discussed paying the £6 from the previous week but the discussion had not gone as he had hoped.

Magistrates also ordered Compton to pay £125 prosecution costs.