FORD Kiernan, the Chewin' the Fat star, has admitted being ashamed after he was fined pounds-3500 for attacking a taxi driver in a road rage incident.

The 42-year-old actor pled guilty through his lawyer at Glasgow Sheriff Court last week to two charges of assaulting William Kerr after a row near a supermarket car park in the west end of Glasgow. He was ordered to appear in person for sentence yesterday.

The court heard the taxi driver needed hospital treatment after the incident in Sutcliffe Road, Anniesland.

Through his agent Mr Kiernan admitted attacking Mr Kerr by punching him on the head.

He also admitted that, soon after, he punched the taxi driver again before dragging him from his vehicle on to the road.

The incident was reported to the police and Kiernan, who with Greg Hemphill stars in the BBC Scotland comedy shows Chewin' the Fat and Still Game, was later charged.

William Nugent, Kiernan's defence lawyer, said his client was now "ashamed" and he could do without the inevitable publicity that would result from the court case.

He said Kiernan's work meant he often attracted unwanted attention, but he was particularly enraged on this occasion because the incident upset his children.

"The nature of his job means there has been times where Mr Kiernan has been abused, but he normally walks away, " Mr Nugent said.

"He has told me if he was on his own on this occasion, he would have just ignored it.

"However, this time Mr Kiernan had seen the initial tirade had his young children crying and went to talk to the taxi driver.

"He knows he should not have then acted in the way he did and should have called police if he thought something was wrong."

Speaking outside the court yesterday the actor said only: "I have probably said enough about this. Let's just say I don't want to see another courtroom for a while."

The incident happened on October 30 last year outside the Safeway store in Anniesland as his wife bought Halloween treats for their children.

Mr Kerr pulled up alongside Kiernan's vehicle and told him he was parked in an area reserved for taxis from which the argument became heated.