TERROR TIMES
KETTERING TAXI FIRM BOSS FURIOUS AFTER PASSENGERS STEAL CAB AND SET FIRE TO IT NEAR HARBOROUGH
The boss of a taxi firm says cabbies are scared after a group of passengers stole a cab from a driver - before it was later found torched near Market Harborough. According to the Harborough Mail, Sumit Kumra, who owners Premier Taxis in Kettering, said a taxi had been booked for five people in High Street, Desborough, and a six-seater taxi was sent after the fare was paid over the phone.
But, between 1.45am and 2am on Saturday 6 November, the group tried
to fit eight people in with one jumping into the boot. When the taxi driver tried to stop them, one jumped into the driver’s seat and fled in the cab, leaving the taxi driver behind. The cab was later located near the Greenacres Traveller site, just to the north of Market Harborough, with significant fire damage. Mr Kumra, 42, said: “It’s just shocking. We are out there helping the public and getting them home safe and this is what we get. It’s absolutely appalling. “The driver is shaken up. Everybody is
at risk when they work at night and people are scared about what they are going to come up against. “We get a few people running off but this is different. Taking a car and torching it is the next level.” It’s left Premier Taxis counting the cost - with the lost income that comes with having a taxi off the road and the expense of buying a new one. Mr Kumra said it could cost them £20,000 for a new taxi - more than the money they will get from insurers for the value of the stolen car.
ANGLESEY TAXI DRIVER BEATEN BY ‘WILD MAN’ PASSENGER WHO SPED OFF IN CAB
A cabbie says he was viciously beaten by a passenger who then drove off in his minibus. According to the Daily Post, Joe Evans, 65, was left with suspected broken ribs and severe bruising to his head in a late-night attack on Anglesey. Jo’s wife, Helen, manages bookings for their firm, Joe’s Taxis, and passed a 12.15am booking from a party to Joe. He said he sensed trouble when the man berated his wife before they set off. As the husband continued his verbal onslaught, Joe asked the couple if they were OK. “He turned to me and said, mind your own f***ing business, then told me to stop,” said Jo. The man got out and slammed the sliding door in the minibus so hard it was ripped off its runners, smashing into a rear panel above a wheel arch. When Jo climbed out to inspect the damage, the passenger got into the driver’s seat and sped off in the £40,000 eight-seater, bought just 12 months previously, leaving Joe stranded with no vehicle and no phone. Joe began walking home and soon spotted the minibus parked up. But then he saw a figure leave the minibus
DECEMBER 2021
and stride towards him shouting: “I’m going to kill you, I’m strong”, over and over again. Joe said: “He then lunged at me, throwing punches, as I tried to dodge them I slipped and fell. He kicked me four or five times in the head, and many more times in the chest. “I couldn’t believe what was happening. He was just nuts. He kept on ranting and kicking. He was like a wild man, like he was psychotic. “I managed to roll onto my front and get back up. He was still throwing punches and at one point he lunged and I grabbed hold of him and he went flying, falling flat on his face.” Joe walked back to his taxi, hoping to make a quick getaway but then realised the man still had the keys. Frantically, he called Helen, giving his location and asking her to dial 999. The man returned and Joe told him the police were on their way. When he realised Joe wasn’t bluffing, he began walking away towards Llangefi. But five minutes later, as Joe tried to comfort the wife, the passenger was back. The man tossed the taxi keys into the undergrowth and pinned Joe against his minibus. Thankfully Helen
arrived then with their son Robert. “Robert pulled the man off me and pushed him hard on the ground and pinned him down until the police arrived five minutes later,” said Jo. Joe sought medical attention and was told that he had taken a “damn good beating”. He needed four to eight weeks recovery for suspected broken ribs. Police deployed sniffer dogs but drew a blank in their search for Joe’s minibus keys. He must now buy and reprogramme another set which, he said, will cost £500. He estimates repairs to the minibus will cost several thousand more. The minibus will be off the road for a while, Joe said. “Thinking back, I should have left the man at the pick-up, where there were people around to see what was happening.” North Wales Police said that, following the incident on 13 November, a 45- year-old man was arrested on suspicion of seven alleged crimes: unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol, Section 47 ABH, two counts of Section 39 assault, threats to kill and criminal damage.
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