A pair of thugs who attacked a 70-year-old taxi driver and spat in his face pleaded guilty yesterday.

Barrington Smith and Bilal Lambert, both aged 20 and from Sandys, admitted assaulting Williston Trott when they appeared at Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Larissa Burgess said the victim was trying to park his taxi at Ice Queen on the night of January 16 when his path was blocked by 15 people on motorcycles.

When he protested, Smith who was part of the group swore at him, and Mr. Trott asked: "Why did you curse me off?"

According to Ms Burgess, Smith's response was to spit in the victim's face. Mr. Trott was then surrounded by a crowd which prompted him to pull out a tyre iron and call the Police. At one point during the incident, Lambert pushed the elderly man back into his cab.

The pair made off in a car but was arrested a short time later after it was involved in a single-vehicle collision a short distance away, near Harmony Club. They are both unemployed and have a history of violent crimes. They apologised for the attack yesterday.

Smith said: "I was intoxicated that night and I was trying to reach the taxi driver to apologise to him but I've not been able to. It's not something I do on a regular basis."

Lambert said: "I was under the influence too." And he told Mr. Warner: "I just wanted to get him out of my space it was just a shove."

Mr. Warner ordered social inquiry reports and set the sentencing date for April 8, bailing the pair until then.