HERO OF THE YEAR
This is always a gratifying, feel-good section of the Review. In reali- ty we should include a mention for each and every one of the stories from the year’s Charity Corner pages as well, to pay tribute to the lit- erally hundreds of industry colleagues who give generously of both their time and money to help others. But we couldn’t reproduce all the articles in this section, otherwise there wouldn’t be room for any- thing else! Never mind... the heroes we featured over the year included a hand- ful of drivers who displayed complete honesty and returned money or valuables that had been left in their taxi. The most spectacular find was made by a London cabbie, whose passenger left a whop- ping $17,000 (£10,760) in his cab. The passenger was overwhelmed with joy, to the tune of a £200 reward for the driver. Thus we grant our runner-up award for this driver. Then we have physical heroics, as exhibited by the Wigan cabbie who helped extinguish a blaze in a parked van; also the Hartlepool drivers who helped to find a missing pensioner, and the caring Kirklees cabbies who have set up a scheme to assist elderly pas- sengers. What would this next sub-group fall under? Something like ‘inter- ventionists’: for example, the Derby driver in our September issue, who blew the whistle on the possible transfer of drugs worth £52,000. Or how about the Coventry driver (October issue) who snapped a photo of a knife-wielding robber which resulted in his arrest. It would seem that Colchester is a bit of a headquarters for good deeds: in September’s issue a Colchester driver assisted the air ambulance crew on a rescue mission; and then in December another driver carried on taking his disabled passenger to her desti- nation, despite his own house being on fire! There were also some taxis that we used as maternity wards and these cabbies are recognised in this section, which only goes to prove that when nature calls (and your waters break) you need to get to hospital p.d.q. However, the winner in this category, we reckon, is the Liverpool driv- er we featured in August who saved the life of his woman passenger, and helped her male companion as well, both of whom were stabbed. The driver took both passengers to hospital as the assailant tried to chase the taxi while wielding the seven-inch knife. That’s some level of bravery!
HEROES GALLERY 1 Mustapha Chaima
2 Charlotte Ford and cabbie Keith Hardacre
3 Cabbie Peter Jake with mother Faye Branigan and Lucas
4 Alan Simpson 2012
PAGE 64
PHTM JANUARY 2013
LIVERPOOL DRIVER SAVED LIFE OF
STABBED PASSENGER
A taxi driver who saved the life of a woman stabbed by her friend’s ex-partner was praised for his bravery by detectives. The 60-year-old, from Old Swan, drove Toni Anderson to hospital and away from Philip Deens after he stabbed her in the chest. Ms Anderson’s friend Kay Branscombe, who was Deens’ ex-partner at that time, also suf- fered slash injuries in the attack in March. The taxi driver drove them straight to hospi- tal and away from danger as Deens, 34, tried to chase the vehi- cle while wielding the seven-inch knife. Ms Anderson, who suf- fered a 3cm wound to her chest, was deemed to be in a critical condi- tion at one stage. Deens was last month sentenced to nine years, nine months in prison after pleading guilty to wounding with intent. Liverpool Crown Court heard
Branscombe
how Ms had
taken refuge with Ms Anderson, her neigh- bour,
after their
“volatile” relationship had again flared up. Deens had only been released from prison in December 2011 for assaulting his girl- friend. On March 19, the women took a taxi to her home when Deens appeared. Rob Jansen, prosecut-
ing, quoted the taxi driver’s police state- ment in court. He said: “I could hear one shouting ‘get back in the car quickly’. “I kept watching him because I
he was going to do something or cause a problem. Both women were shouting ‘get in the vehicle’.” Telling how Deens caught up with the women, Mr Jansen continued: “I then saw the blade stab the girl in the chest. He didn’t say anything. His facial expression
didn’t
change. He just twist- ed the knife into the middle of her chest.” Deens was arrested after the taxi driver called the police after taking the two victims to hospital. Det Srg Steve Reardon, from St Anne Street CID, said: “If it wasn’t for the quick thinking and cool-headedness of the cabbie, Deens may have got into the taxi and attacked Toni Anderson or Kay Branscombe again. “Reading or hearing about an attack of such violence is one thing, but to witness it first hand is incredibly traumatic and he has undoubtedly suffered as a result. “However he has saved the life of Toni and should feel immensely proud of the courage and bravery he showed that morning.”
thought
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