JUST DESERTS
COMMUNITY AND ALCOHOL ORDERS FOR MANSFIELD ALCOHOLIC WHO RACIALLY ASSAULTED CABBIE
A Mansfield alcoholic who hurled racist abuse and punched a cabbie after spilling takeaway food in his cab has been ordered to clean up his act. According to Chad, Mansfield Magis- trates’ Court heard Ian Rigley was drunk when he hailed in July last year. Rebecca Williams, prosecuting, said Rigley was warned not to eat the take- away food he brought, but at some stage the 36-year-old spilled some of it on the back seat. The driver stopped by a shop and told him that there was a £60 soiling charge.
Rigley tried to wipe the mess with tis- sues, but when the driver told him it needed soap and water, he threatened to knock his ‘black teeth out of his face’. He loomed over the driver and forced him into a crouching position, before punching him in the back of his head. A worker from the shop tried to inter- vene and overheard Rigley using more racist insults.
His victim said the pain in the back of his head was ‘thrashing’ as he continued to work, and it lasted until the next day, but he didn’t need medical treatment. The court heard Rigley was jailed for
180 days for a racially-aggravated assault, in 2008. Rigley initially denied racially aggravat- ed harassment and assault, but pleaded guilty on the day of his trial. Donna Pursglove, mitigating, said Rigley has a ‘very significant alcohol problem’ and ‘most of his offending was committed while intoxicated’. Rigley was handed a 12-month commu- nity order, with a six-month alcohol treatment programme and five rehabil- itation days, and ordered to pay £100 compensation, £200 costs and a £95 surcharge.
JAIL FOR THREE BULLIES WHO KICKED AND PUNCHED ELDERLY STOKE CABBIE IN FARE ROW
Three “bullies” have been locked up after kicking, punching and slapping an elderly taxi driver in a row over a fare. The Birmingham Mail reports that Adam Birnie, Christopher Birnie and Brandon Hammersley attacked the 65-year-old after he refused to go to an address in Fenton. Christopher Birnie and Hammersley also kicked his taxi, denting it and Hammersley kicked a police officer. Now Adam Birnie has been locked up for 15 months; Hammersley was jailed for 11 months; and Christopher Birnie was sent down for nine months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. The three yobs had been picked up at 10.20pm in July 2019, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports. Tom Kenning, prosecuting, said: “They asked to go to Hanley and he told them it would be £12. Adam Birnie gave him a £10 note and said he would have to get more money from a cash machine. They went to Fenton, and then the driver agreed to go to an other address but said it would cost a further £5. “On the way Adam Birnie said he wanted
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to go to Duke Street by a factory. The driver did not want to go there. “The defendants wanted their fare back. The driver said it would be £10 so far. The argument continued. “He thought it best to give them their money back hoping that would bring the argument to an end. But they said they had given him £20. “Hammersley held the driver from the back in a headlock and started to punch him. He struck him on the shoul- der. The victim says that happened a number of times.
“One of the other men started punch- ing him as well, the prosecution say
that was Adam Birnie. Christopher Birnie was outside trying to open the driver’s door. “The driver was punched to the face. Adam Birnie was in the back seat and used his left leg to assault the driver. Christopher Birnie punched the driver in the face as well.” In a statement, the victim said he has struggled to sleep at night following the incident. He now feels scared when he sees a group of people. The three defendants admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Christopher Birnie of Talke, and Hammersley of Northwood, also pleaded guilty to criminal damage. Hammersley also admitted assaulting an emergency worker. Judge David Fletcher said: “The taxi driver was aged 65. He was doing his job and was shocked and shaken by the incident. This was bullying behaviour by the three of you. This was a nasty assault on a man doing his job late at night. In my judgement, appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.”
JULY 2022
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