...DESSERTS


FINE FOR DRUNKEN ASSAULT ON WOLVERHAMPTON CABBIE


A man drunkenly assaulted a taxi driver after being refused a ride home because he did not have enough money for the journey. According to the Express and Star, Stephen Stretton from Tipton made the late night attack on Mohammed Pervez on


October 31 as he was parked at Wolverhamp- ton station. The 19-year-old offered an initial £5 for a trip costing £15, Wolver- hampton magistrates heard. As Mr Pervez refused to accept the fare, Stretton “lunged” at him, and floored Mr Purvez, who had got


out his car. Mr Pervez suffered pain and discomfort. Stretton was “intoxi- cated” at the time of the attack. He admit- ted assault and was fined £100, ordered to pay £100 in costs and £50 in compensation. He also has to pay a £15 victim surcharge.


COMMUNITY ORDER FOR SCUNTHORPE MAN WHO SUFFERED ‘CLAUSTROPHOBIA ATTACK’


A claustrophobia attack was the reason given by a Scunthorpe man for damaging a taxi. Craig Lowe, prosecut- ing at Grimsby Crown Court, said Jaspreet Kandola, 25, was with another male in a taxi at 2.15am on May 24. Kandola became irate after believing he was being over charged for the journey.


Mr Lowe said: “The defendant punched the complainant once to the right side of his nose which became bloodied and swollen.” The cabbie operated


the central locking and Kandola kicked out at the door. It was opened and the defen- dant ran off.” Andrew Petterson, miti- gating, said his client suffered from claustro- phobia and that was why he panicked after being locked inside the vehicle.


According to the Scun- thorpe Evening Tele- graph, Kandola admit- ted charges of common assault, criminal dam- age and making off without payment. He was given a 12- month community


order, with six months’ supervision.


He was, in addition, told to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work and to pay £300 com- pensation to his victim. Judge Kate Bucking- ham told him: “The aggravating feature of this offence was that you struck a taxi driver who was going about his ordinary business.” Mmm...We’ve heard all sorts of excuses over the years for doing a runner and damaging taxis, but this is a first for claustrophobia – Ed.


THREE YEARS FOR STOKE CABBIE WHO CAUSED PASSENGER’S DEATH


A ‘greedy’ taxi driver who tried to get more money out of his drunk passengers has been jailed for three years after one of them died in a fall from his moving cab. Young mum-of-one Katie Bennett hit her head on the ground as Mohammed Qaddier drove off, and died two days later in hospital. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard an angry Qaddier had driven off after failing to get Katie’s group to pay more for their Hanley to Newchapel fare on May 24 last year. According to the Stoke on Trent Sentinel, the 34-year-old, from Burslem, has also been banned from driving for five years


after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. In a moving statement read to the court, Les- ley Penney, who lived with her daughter in Newchapel, said: “Qaddier has caused so much pain to me and my family. People say it will get easier. Believe me, every day gets harder and harder. “She shared my birth- day. I do not celebrate it any more. I watched her grow into a lovely, caring young lady. She had a beautiful daugh- ter Mia. My sentence started the night Katie was taken and it will end the day I die.” Eugene Hickey, defend- ing Qaddier, said his client made a “gross error of judgment”,


FEBRUARY 2010 PHTM


which was entirely out of character. Jailing Qaddier, Judge Paul Glenn said no sentence could com- pensate for the loss of 21-year-old Katie’s life. He told the defendant: “The whole incident arose because you were greedy and seek- ing to take advantage of people who were drunk. The whole group had given you no cause for concern. ”You drove off in a temper, not in fear. I do not believe you made any checks at all. “You did not intend to injure anyone. It was an accident. But it was avoidable and brought about by your conduct.” After the case, Mrs Penny said she was sat- isfied with the sentence.


THREE AND A HALF YEARS FOR DERBY ADDICT WHO ROBBED CABBIE


A drug addict who stole from his own mother and robbed a taxi driver has been jailed for three and a half years.


Ashley Greenwood broke into his mother’s home and took a Sony Play Station, games and a Freeview box. According to the Derby Evening Telegraph, Derby Crown Court heard that Greenwood was motivated by the desire to buy heroin


when in company with another man he robbed a taxi driver. Greenwood, who was sitting in the back of the cab, reached for- ward and grabbed the driver around the neck in a headlock, while the other man punched him in the face.


The driver sounded his horn with his knees and got out of the taxi, but his two attackers got away with cash and the car keys.


Sentencing Greenwood to two and a half years for robbing the taxi driv- er and a further 12 months for the burglary of his mother’s flat, Recorder Sarah Wright said: “You committed the robbery of a vulnera- ble taxi driver which was pre-planned and you indulged in violence, grabbing him while another man attacked him. These offences are so serious that only cus- tody can be justified.”


JAIL FOR TWO DONCASTER MEN FOR TAXI RACE ATTACK


Two men have been jailed and a third must pay compensation to a taxi driver whose car they wrecked when he refused to carry them because they had no money for the fare. The episode was aggravated because one of them racially insulted the Asian cab- bie, Doncaster Crown Court heard.


Glen Adrian Waite, aged 25, from Car- croft, received three months after pleading guilty to racially aggra- vated criminal damage.


The Doncaster Star reports that a two- month jail term was imposed on Michael McHugh, from Bentley, for criminal damage. Nigel Sean Stott from Toll Bar, was given a suspended six weeks’ sentence, an alcohol treatment order, and a curfew. But the scaf- folder must pay the taxi driver £1,600 for the damage to his VW Pas- sat. Stott pleaded guilty to criminal dam- age.


The driver had been called to Skellow last February to pick up a


group of men who wanted to go to Bentley. He asked for payment in advance because they had been drinking and took them to a cashpoint, but they returned claiming the cash machine wasn’t working and asked to be taken to another. When the driver refused, Waite shouted abuse at him and they all got out and began to pull the doors almost off their hinges. Police arrested them after studying CCTV pictures from the supermarket car park.


SIX MONTH CONDITIONAL DISCHARGE FOR ABUSIVE DERBY POLICEMAN


A senior police officer could lose his job after being convicted of using insulting, abusive and threatening lan- guage to a taxi driver. According to the Derby Evening Tele- graph, Inspector Gary Tomlinson, 47, a mar- ried father-of-five, from Hartshorne, was found guilty of the public order offence last month. Tomlinson told the court he had let down himself, his family and the force when he launched a 92-second tirade of abuse against cab driver Mohammed Anwar, who recorded it on his mobile phone in July 31 last year.


At North East Der- byshire Magistrates’ Court the District Judge gave Tomlinson a six- month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £250 in costs on the abuse charge. Tomlinson was cleared of a separate charge of using racially aggra- vated language against Mr Anwar. He had denied both charges.


Det Chief Constable Alan Goodwin said: “DI Tomlinson’s position with the force will now be reviewed as a result of his conviction.” The former head of Derbyshire special branch, Tomlinson was celebrating his


promotion to Detective Chief Inspector. He fell asleep in the back of the taxi and, when he awoke, found he was being driven around Swadlincote.


He told Mr Anwar to drive him home and, when they got there, handed over two notes. There was a dispute over the amount ten- dered which resulted in Tomlinson saying: “I am a police officer and I am going to do you. You are a lying b******.” Tomlinson, a police officer for 21 years, told the court his pro- motion had been cancelled, he had been suspended and his job was on the line.


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