84 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY TERROR TIMES COULSDON CABBIE IN CARJACK ORDEAL
A cabbie who was car- jacked and robbed by knife-wielding thugs who then torched his car says he will never fully get over his night- mare. Mohammed
Alam
choked back tears as he told the Croydon Advertiser how he watched helplessly as his pride and joy - a Kia Sedona he bought for £21,500 less than a year ago - went up in flames. The 38-year-old was waiting at traffic lights in Caterham on the Hill, at about 1.45am last month when two men brandishing
knives
forced their way into his car and ordered him into the back. The pair then stole his money and drove the car to Old Coulsdon. There,
him out and told him to look away as they set fire to the taxi before making their getaway in
they ordered
a small white car driven by a third man. Describing how the ter- rifying ambush has affected him, Mr Alam said: “That night I found it very difficult to sleep. You have the images in front of you. Then, slow- ly the reality of what happened hits you. It takes time to sink in. Even now I think ‘am I still dreaming?’.” As soon as he was con- fronted with knives Mr Alam says he decided he “wasn’t going to be a hero” by trying to fight them off. The father-of-four, who has been a taxi driver for 14 years, fears the mental scars suffered in his ordeal may never heal. Mr Alam asked the Advertiser to pass on his thanks to a couple who assisted him on the night. They took himinto their home and waited with him until the emergency servic-
es arrived. Investigating officer DC RichardWarr said: “This was a very serious inci- dent, Reigate CID are working hard to bring these men to justice.” Moments before the crooks set fire to the Kia, at around 2am, another taxi driver in a silver Ford Galaxy-style vehicle pulled up to ask Mr Alam if he needed any help, but he was intimidated into silence by his captors. Police are appealing for this man and any other witnesses to come for- ward. The two suspects are described as white men in their thirties wearing baseball caps. Both are described as having for- eign, possibly eastern European, accents. Anyone with any infor- mation should call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222, or call Crimestoppers, in confi- dence, on 0800 555 111.
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PASSENGERS ROB WALLSEND DRIVER OF CASH
A taxi driver was robbed by thugs who took his takings. The cabbie was target- ed as he dropped two men off in Wallsend early on a recent Satur- day morning. The taxi driver was assaulted and had cash stolen in the attack. Now police are appeal-
ing for witnesses to the raid to come forward. A police spokeswoman told the Newcastle- upon-Tyne Evening Chronicle: “We want to hear from anyone in the area around the time of this incident who may have witnessed what happened. “The taxi driver was
assaulted and an amount of cash was taken. “Officers attended the scene and following a search of the area two men aged 23 were arrested on suspicion of robbery.” The two men arrested are in custody and helping police with their inquiries.
LEEDS CABBIE COULD LOSE SIGHT IN ONE EYE
A Leeds cabbie’s eye- sight may have been permanently damaged in one of two attacks on drivers from the same taxi firm. The 35-year-old victim is now waiting to hear from doctors whether his sight will be perma- nently affected by the injuries caused to him in an assault by a group of passengers inMarch. The Yorkshire Post reports that he had
picked up four men in their 20s from the Squinting Cat pub in Swarcliffe, Leeds, about 11.30pm. Themen got himto take them to the rear of Tesco on Seacroft Avenue. The men had got out of the dark peo- ple carrier when they turned on the driver and beat him to the ground. They
repeatedly
punched and kicked him about the head
causing serious injuries. The injured driver, from the Roadrunners pri- vate hire firm, was taken to hospital where doctors told him that the injury to his eye could have long term implications on his sight. Any witnesses or any- one with information are asked to contact Det Insp Paul Conroy at Killingbeck CID via 0845 60 60 606.
GLASGOW CABBIE ROBBED AND ASSAULTED
A couple attacked and robbed a taxi driver as he dropped them off. They dragged the 60- year-old man from his car and beat him with a blunt weapon before escaping with a three- figure cash sum.
According to the Scot- tish Daily Record, police said the pair were picked up in Linthaugh Road, in Pollok, Glas- gow, around 2am. They assaulted the pri- vate hire driver 15 minutes later at Kin-
craig Street in Dru- moyne. He suffered head and face injuries. Both thugs were white and aged 17 to 21. The man wore a white shin. Detectives are urging witnesses to call 0141 532 5442.
LEEDS TAXI DRIVER STABBED IN MIDNIGHT ROBBERY
A taxi driver was stabbed when he was beaten up and robbed after taking three fares to an address in Wood- house, Leeds. Though the life of the 34-year-old cabbie was not thought to be in danger, he was still detained in hospital. According to the York-
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shire Evening Post, the driver had picked up three men in his Vaux- hall Vectra and drove them to Marian Terrace, Woodhouse. He was immediately attacked by the men who punched him and stabbed him at the side of his abdomen. The men then stole his wal-
let, satellite navigation system and cash and ran off. The victim was taken to Leeds General Infi- mary where underwent
he surgery.
The three attackers were described as black, aged about 20 and wearing dark clothing.
APPEAL ON TAXI DRIVER ASSAULT IN REDDITCH
Police investigating an assault on a taxi driver in Redditch are appeal- ing for help in identifying
those
involved. The driver picked up a male and a female from Unicorn Hill in Redditch town centre at around 11.45pm on Thursday, March 5 and then drove them to Huband Close in Abbeydale. The pair refused to pay the taxi fare and the
male struck the driver in the face before run- ning
off towards
Huband Close. The female ran off towards a nearby block of flats. Pc Laura Wright from Redditch police told the Redditch Advertiser: “Despite
on-going
enquiries, we have not been able to confirm the identity of those involved in this incident and so want to appeal for help from the public.
“The male is described as a whiteman, 18 to 22 years old, 5ft 9ins tall with a regular build and short spiky dark hair. He was wearing a grey jumper, blue jeans and white trainers on the night of the incident. “The female was white and in her mid 20s, 5ft 9ins tall and said to have a chubby build. She had dark shoulder length hair and was dressed in black.”
MAY 2009
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