JUST DESERTS
SIX YEARS’ JAIL FOR THUG WHO SMASHED CARDIFF CABBIE IN HEAD WITH WHISKY BOTTLE
A thug attacked a taxi driver with a whisky bottle and left him with lacerations to his head after refusing to a pay his fare. He also threatened to smash the taxi up unless the driver gave him money. Sami Meah, 35, wounded taxi driver Khair Mohammed on October 14 after taking him from Cardiff city centre to Splott. The attacker got out of the car without paying and became violent when confronted by the victim. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on 19 December, heard Meah had also attempted to rob another victim, James Savery, on 5 October, who he repeatedly
punched in the face.
The cabbie called police and Meah was later arrested and identified. In a victim personal statement, Mr Mohammed said: “Immediately after the incident I felt extremely scared. I was in a ridiculous amount of pain to my neck and head. I noticed how much blood there was and was getting more and more
scared. I was in
complete shock. “It was the most frightening thing I’ve ever experienced.” The victim said he had not yet
returned to taxi driving as he “couldn’t face going back to work”. Meah, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and attempted robbery. The court heard he had 28 previous convictions, including offences of violence and robbery. In mitigation, the court heard the defendant was homeless and was addicted to alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine. Recorder Greg Bull KC sentenced Meah to six years imprisonment, with an extended four years on licence. He will serve two thirds of the custodial sentence before he is considered for parole.
12 WEEKS’ JAIL FOR TEESSIDE MAN WHO RACIALLY ABUSED CABBIE & KICKED WINDSCREEN
A thug subjected a taxi driver to frightening racial abuse, Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard. Avtar Singh jumped onto the bonnet of the cab and kicked in the windscreen with the frightened driver inside. Singh denied racially aggravated criminal damage, but was convicted following a trial. Singh, 41, appeared before the court to be sentenced and was locked up over the festive period with Judge Helen Cousins saying abuse of taxi drivers “cannot be allowed to continue”. Rachel Butt, prosecuting, said when Singh got into the cab in Billingham, he asked the driver if he was Muslim and the driver said yes. She said Singh went on to say: “You
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people kill children. You kill people all over the world. I know you Muslims, you kill children all over the world.”
She said they went a short distance and Singh asked the driver to stop at a garage and wait for him. When he returned Singh jumped onto the bonnet of the car and started kicking in the windscreen. She said he then told the driver to call the police. In a victim statement the self employed cabbie said the incident in June this year has left him shaken and has affected both his work and his personal life. He said: “Since returning to work I constantly worry if this is going to happen again. Nothing like this has happened to me before and I
never expected this type of behaviour whilst I am at work.” Ms Butt stressed that Singh made several racist comments, it was not just one remark. Judge Cousins asked Singh, who was unrepresented, if he had anything he wanted to say, but he said he didn’t.
She said this was an ‘awful’ incident which put the driver at high risk of being seriously injured and it must have been very distressing for him. She added: “There is a significant problem on Teesside with taxi drivers being abused and suffering violence in one way or another. It cannot be allowed to continue.” Singh was jailed for 12 weeks and ordered to pay £154 victim surcharge.
JANUARY 2023 PHTM
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