Management consultant begged to be spared prison after kicking the driver outside an exclusive club

A sobbing company director was told: “Get used to life being different” as he was jailed for 20 weeks for kicking an Uber driver outside Raffles in Chelsea.

Robert Croucher of Hawthorn Road said: “This will destroy my life, I am the director of a company, and everyone would lose their jobs.”

“We have 1,000 clients, we have staff all around the country, and it would die.”

But magistrate Sandra Blandford said: “We find that you did kick Mr Mohammad Hussein a number of times while he was on the floor, and one of those kicks was to the head.

She added: “You’ll just have to get used to his life being different.”

Hammersmith Magistrates heard Croucher, 35, attacked Mr Hussein when he refused to drive the couple home.

The driver said: “A lady got into the cab, a man threw his bag in.

“I refused because I got scared because the gentlemen suddenly got angry, something happened between them and he harshly slammed the door.

“I got out to open the door, and then the gentlemen took the keys from through the window.

“He then slapped me.

“I was begging for my keys and he suddenly pushed me on the pavement.

“He has just kicked me in several parts of my body and head.

“My head was very swollen, I went to hospital where I stayed for four hours.”

Magistrates were shown footage of the incident recorded by a member of staff at Raffles.

Croucher admitted assault by beating, but denied kicking Mr Hussain.