Crazed coffee chucker burns London parking attendant

From the market reports to the utterly ridiculous today we’re afraid. Sometimes, when you read these stories you just have to let out an incredulous sigh: They really do highlight how absurd some people can be.

According to numerous reports in the British press, a van driver threw a cup of scalding hot coffee over a traffic warden – because of a row over a parking ticket.

It transpires that Russell Smith was caught pulled up, appearing to park in a bus stop – something which is against parking regulations. When confronted, Mr Smith, 49, launched a foul mouthed tirade at the attendant, Joel Zagbayou.

Mr Smith then waltzed into a nearby London cafe and bought two cups of coffee, only to find that he had been issued a parking ticket for his indiscretion. He launched not one, but two cups of coffee at Mr Zagbayou before driving away.

The traffic warden had to be taken to hospital with burns to his face and neck.

We have to ask, what motivates people to do such things?

Magistrate Greg Thomson told Mr Smith that “the court [takes] a dim view of people being attacked in the course of their work, however annoyed you may be about them doing that job” before ordering the crazed coffee chucker to pay £713 in compensation, fines and court costs.

Speaking on behalf of the prosecution, Tom Gill the following about the incident: “When [Mr Zagbayou] asked the defendant to move on he was told to ‘f*** off’….As the Zagbayou placed a ticket on the vehicle Smith came out and threw both cups of coffee…at the complainant.”

Incredibly, Mr Smith apparently tried to claim that the coffees were not his, stating that he ‘saw something fly past him’.

Later, when confronted with the evidence he retracted his story and acknowledged responsibility for his mindless act.

“I completely admit now to what I have done and am extremely sorry to the bloke I injured,” he told the court.