The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A former professional golfer who racially abused a Spalding taxi driver, has been ordered to pay him £200 in compensation by magistrates in Boston.
John William Ronson, 55, of no fixed address but with a contact address in Parkside Crescent in Spalding, admitted using racially abusive words and behaviour towards the driver on August 17 last year.
The court heard that the incident occurred at around 7pm when Ronson went to get a taxi from the town centre rank where the victim was the first driver in line.
However, Ronson went to the second taxi and refused to go to the lead taxi saying “He’s a **** driver”, but the other drivers refused to take him so he went to the lead driver and said: “Take me home”.
Prosecutor Jim Clare said the driver refused because of his attitude and Ronson then made a fist and said: “I’ll ******* kill you.”
He said that at this, the driver got into the car but Ronson went into the road and appeared to be taking photographs of him and said: “I’m going to report you,” and called him a racial slur and accused him of bringing COVID to Spalding from Peterborough.
Mr Clare said the driver had been scared by what had happened and had to take the next day off work.
He said it was the only time he had experienced something like this in 16 years of being a taxi driver.
Mitigating, Michael Alexander said Ronson accepted full responsibility for what had happened and he had told the police he was sorry.
He said he was on medication for depression and anxiety and had been drinking that day.
The Probation Service said Ronson, who was a former professional golfer, had told them he had been ‘getting grief’ on social media and had received death threats.
He was said to be of no fixed address and was sofa surfing, but had a wife in Thailand he phoned every day.
The magistrates said it was a ‘particularly nasty offence’ and ordered him to pay £200 compensation to the taxi driver, as well as a £200 fine and £119 in court costs and charges.
