JUST DESSERTS
MAN JAILED FOR 10 MONTHS FOR BEATING UP CORNWALL CABBIE OVER COMMENTS HE MADE TO GIRLS IN CAB
A man attacked a taxi driver after summoning him to a secluded field in revenge for what he believed were inappropriate comments made towards his sister. CornwallLive reports that Harry James landed a number of blows on the driver leaving him battered and bruised. James, 27, of Porthtowan, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Prosecuting the case, Francesca Whe- bell told the court how back in October 2019 the victim was working as a taxi driver. He picked up three female pas- sengers, one being James’ sister, and during the course of the journey made
a comment about knowing where she lived and possibly something about her bedroom. James’ sister then told the defendant about the com- ments and along with a female and two males, James requested the taxi for another fare, to meet at a field near the pub. When the taxi driver arrived a door opened and he was subjected to a flurry of blows to the head in the attack that lasted 20 to 30 seconds before James and the two other individuals fled. The victim suffered cuts and swelling and continues to suffer from post
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in relation to the incident. He managed to identify James through Facebook. Representing James, Robin Smith said: “He is keen to express and demon- strates genuine remorse and shame over how he acted. He is a protective man of those around him. He is hard working and runs his own business.” Sentencing James, Judge Simon Carr said that taxi drivers perform an important role, often working late at night, alone and dealing with drunk people and that it is the court’s respon- sibility to protect such people. James was jailed for ten months lead- ing to scenes in the courtroom with James’ family shouting at the victim.
9 MONTHS’ JAIL FOR MAN WHO BATTERED BELFAST TAXI DRIVER IN ‘SAVAGE AND UNPROVOKED’ ATTACK
A man who launched a “savage and unprovoked” attack on a taxi driver has started a nine-month prison sentence. According to BelfastLive, Jonathan Houston, 44, punched the driver in the face and head before breaking off the taxi’s wing mirror to continue the assault. Judge Rafferty imposed an 18-month sentence on Houston, from Belfast, after he admitted wounding the taxi driver in March 2019 and threatening to kill him during the violent incident. The sentence was divided equally between prison and supervised licence. At around 10am on the day in question, the taxi driver was stationary at red lights when he felt a slight bang to the back of his car. He saw a female in a jeep behind him and got out of his vehicle to talk to her, but she drove on. The taxi driver followed her and when she was stopped in traffic, he approached the jeep and shouted through the window ‘I think you just hit my car back there’.
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She denied this, drove off again and at that point he took her car registration which he gave to police. The driver went back to his depot and noted damage to the rear light and sensor and then went back to work. But he was called back to the depot after being told him there was a man waiting to speak to him. He arrived at the depot and was parking his car when he was approached by Houston, who pulled open the driver’s door and launched what Judge Rafferty described as a “savage and unprovoked attack”. As Houston administered punches to the head, he said ‘you were chasing my girl in the car, telling her she’d crashed’. The taxi driver felt something sharp strike his head, which was caused by the wing mirror which Houston broke off and used as a weapon whilst shouting ‘I’ll f*****g kill you’. Judge Rafferty said: “The injured party was effectively trapped and at the
mercy of the defendant, who eventually ran off.” The bloodied and battered taxi driver was taken to hospital, where he was treated for lacerations to his head and other facial injuries. The jeep’s vehicle registration was circulated by police and Houston was located at a house, where officers noticed blood smears around the front door, and Houston was arrested. Defence barrister Michael Boyd said Houston was “remorseful, embarrassed and apologetic” about what happened when he “completely lost self-control”. Judge Rafferty said that whilst he accepted the incident was a one-off and that Houston was an otherwise industrious and hard-working man, the attack was so severe that it warranted a prison sentence.
the Judge said: “I fully appreciate it was two and a half years ago but what you did was so serious that an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.”
NOVEMBER 2021
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