An Irvine man has been jailed for raining punches on a taxi driver and opening the door while the cabbie drove him and his girlfriend along the motorway at 70mph.

Graeme Cox set upon the taxi driver during a journey between Johnstone and Renfrew.

He repeatedly punched him while the cabbie drove him along the motorway, grabbed him by the neck and repeatedly opened the rear door of the taxi, placing the driver, himself and his girlfriend "and other road users at risk of serious injury."

The details emerged this week when Cox, 30, appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court to be sentenced over the events of Saturday, May 12.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Colin Wilson told the court the incident happened in the early hours of the morning after Cox and his partner left a family function in Johnstone and got a taxi back to Renfrew.

The prosecutor explained: "The accused was observed to be under the influence of alcohol to such a degree the taxi driver initially refused to allow him to travel but after speaking to his girlfriend was more relaxed about taking them in the taxi.

"The accused immediately fell out with the taxi driver, saying he had already paid for the taxi.

"He took an aggressive stance and started shouting in his face and his partner had to tell the accused to calm down and be quiet and thereafter apologised to the the driver on behalf of the accused, blaming it on too much alcohol."

As the cab passed along the A737 and M8, heading for Renfrew, Cox began shouting and then asked the driver what he was going to do about his behaviour - before lashing out.

Mr Wilson explained: "He thereafter punched the taxi driver to the left side of his head, causing the driver to alter his driving position so he was outwith the reach of the accused.

"The accused then grabbed the driver by the neck.

"The taxi was traveling at approximately 70-miles-per-hour on the motorway at this time and the witness [his girlfriend] was shouting, 'you're going to kill us all'."

Cox then slapped her on the face as they both sat in the back of the cab and then apologised to the driver, saying, "Sorry, this isn't me - she made me do it."

Cox then threw the back door of the cab open, while still traveling at 70-miles-per-hour, and then closed it a short time later, before trying to hit the driver again.

The taxi drama eventually came to an end when the driver reached Renfrew and Cox got out of the vehicle and headed back to his girlfriend's home, in the burgh town's Ard Road, where he was seen stamping on her by a neighbour.

Defence solicitor Kevin Brady said Cox, who was on a Community Payback Order imposed over a domestic incident at the time of the rampage, knew he could be jailed for his "absolutely shocking" behaviour on the night in question, adding: "But for the grace of God he could've killed himself and others with his actions in the taxi."

But he asked for leniency, saying Cox, a railway worker, earned £570-per-week and could pay "substantial compensation" to the taxi driver.

But Sheriff Susan Sinclair ruled there was only one way she could deal with him, and caged him for eight months for the offences, backdated to May 14, when he was first remanded in custody over the case.

As she did so, she said: "Custody is inevitable in my opinion."