PROTECT OUR DRIVERS
MAN DENIES MURDERING ANAK SINGH & TWO MEN CHARGED WITH MOHAMMED ISTAKHAR MURDER
A man accused of murdering Wolverhampton private hire driver, Anak Singh, has pleaded not guilty to the offence. Tomasz Margol, 35, from Merridale, Wolverhampton, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday 5 December, charged with his murder. Speaking through a Polish interpreter, Margol spoke only to confirm his name and his not guilty plea. The case was adjourned for a trial date to be fixed and the defendant was remanded in custody. Father-of-two Anak Singh,59, was found in a critical condition in Nine Elms Lane, Wolverhampton, on Sunday, 30 October, after reports of two men fighting. Unofficially it has been reported that there was a dispute between the ABC Cars driver and his passenger over a fare. Sadly despite the efforts of the emergency services Mr Singh was pronounced dead at the scene. A fundraiser for Mr Singh’s family has reached nearly £12,000 and can be viewed at:
justgiving.com/crowdfunding/anakh singh
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Two men have now been charged with murder after private hire driver, Mohammed Istakhar, 44, was found fatally stabbed at the junction of Braggs Farm Lane and Lady Lane in Earlswood, Solihull. The father-of-five, was found with serious injuries on November 29 but sadly nothing could be done to save him. Luca De-Fazio, 18, from Solihull, has been charged with murder and was remanded in custody at a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on December 6. A trial date has been set for June 2023. After further investigation, West Midlands Police named Oliver Pugh, as the second suspect involved in the tragedy. Pugh then went on the run but after a police appeal to the public for help in finding the suspect, he was found and arrested in the Creswell area of Derbyshire on 6 December. The 19-year-old, from Solihull, was charged with murder and was remanded to
appear before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
These two private hire drivers were tragically murdered whilst working to make an honest living to feed their families. PHTM has also seen a dramatic increase in reports of violent attacks on drivers nationwide and as the economic crisis deepens this is only going to get worse. As trains, buses and ambulances go on strike, it will be our trade yet again, working 24/7 ensuring the UK keeps moving and members of the public get to their destinations safely. BUT we have to ask the question, who is protecting our drivers ensuring that they ALL also get home safely to their families at the end of their shifts?
PHTM and the NPHTA are therefore making this urgent plea:
• TAXI DRIVERS’ LIVES ALSO MATTER
Our industry is the biggest transport sector and cannot be neglected and ignored.
• THE TIME FOR ACTION AND SUPPORT IS NOW! It is time for the government, local authorities and police to show that public safety also includes the safety of private hire and taxi drivers.
• PROTECT OUR DRIVERS: Please give immediate funding for in-vehicle CCTV and panic buttons Please allow in-vehicle attack screens to be installed
In the meantime, here’s a message to all members of our trade:
• STAY VIGILANT • STAY ALERT • STAY SAFE
JANUARY 2023 PHTM
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