UNSUNG HEROES


NORTHUMBRIA CABBIE SAVES PENSIONER FROM SCAMMERS ON HER WAY TO GET MONEY FROM THE BANK


A cabbie helped save an 80-year-old woman from being conned out of £2,000 after overhearing her phone conversation with scammers. ITV News reports that Ronnie Naylor (second from left) managed to inter- cept the scam by alerting bank staff after picking up the would-be victim. Northumbria Police said the woman was contacted by the con-artists claiming to be from Barclays’ Fraud Office.


As part of their elaborate con, she was tricked into believing she had already been targeted by a stranger trying to make purchases with her card. The fraudster convinced her that to protect her money she needed to withdraw £2,000 to then post to a ‘safe’ address. Concerned for her money, the woman


rang for a taxi to take her to her nearest Barclays branch. Once inside, Mr Naylor overheard the woman on her mobile being told by fraudsters that she was not to tell bank staff why she was with-


drawing the cash. Alarmed by the conversation, he escorted the pensioner into the branch and flagged down members of staff who was able to intervene, confirm the scam and swiftly called the police. Northumbria Police have praised Mr Naylor and the actions of bank staff Hemant Kantak and Lance Hardy. They have now been presented with a certificate of thanks from Northumbria Police Chief Constable. Northumbria Police Det Insp Chris Riley, who presented the certificates, said: “The actions of these three men have helped safeguard an elderly woman and keep fraudsters from gain- ing access to her money - I was honoured to be able to present them with a small token of our appreciation.”


HERO MEN BRAVELY TACKLE MEAT CLEAVER WIELDING ROBBER AT HEBDEN BRIDGE TAXI OFFICE


A would-be robber was bravely tackled by two men at a Hebden Bridge taxi firm when he came into the premises armed with a meat cleaver. YorkshireLive reports that a judge heard on Monday, 23 May, how 28-year- old Tyson Cluckie walked into the premises of Valley Taxis on New Road wearing a balaclava and demanded £50 during the attempted robbery in the early hours of the morning one day last October. But Cluckie was tackled by one of the men and, during a scuffle, the meat cleaver was knocked out of his hand. Prosecutor Eddison Flint told Bradford Crown Court that Cluckie punched the two men and eventually managed to get away. The meat cleaver was seized by police and a DNA profile later linked it to Cluckie. Cluckie, from Hebden Bridge, was


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arrested the next day, but denied the offence and of being involved in two previous inci- dents. Ten days earlier Cluckie had con- fronted a man who was waiting for a taxi in Hebden Bridge and after showing him the meat cleaver the robbery victim handed over £20. A few days after that Cluckie tried to steal property from another man again during the early hours of the morning. Cluckie, who had no previous convic- tions, eventually pleaded guilty to charges of robbery, attempted robbery, theft and possession of a bladed article in a public place and he was jailed for three years and ten months. The court heard that at the time of the offences he had stopped taking


medication and his mental health had deteriorated. He was said to be remorseful and apologetic for his offending. Judge Ahmed Nadim accepted that Cluckie’s fragile mental state may have contributed to his crimes, but said taxi operators provided an important and valuable public service and were often seen as a soft target. “Therefore the public interest requires that they be appropriately protected by appropriate and proportionate punishment,” he told Cluckie. The judge said the attack at the taxi premises was an attempted robbery only because the victims showed great courage in resisting Cluckie’s demands. The court heard that Cluckie was a Canadian national and he faced being returned to his native country after serving half of his three years and ten months prison sentence.


JUNE 2022


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