JUST DESERTS


DRUNK PASSENGER BLINDED LIVERPOOL CABBIE IN VIOLENT ROW OVER £9.50 FARE


A drunk father who left a cabbie permanently blind in one eye was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court last month. Paul Pollard grumbled that his sentence was “bulls***” after receiving six years, three months in prison, alongside a three-year extended licence period. The incident took place on March 8 this year. James Thompson, a cabbie of 17 years, picked up Pollard, 39, from Litherland around 8.30am. Pollard was “very drunk”, slurring his words, and carrying a bottle of pre-mixed margarita cocktail. After falling asleep in the back, Pollard was woken up at his destination in Anfield, but admitted he had no money to pay the £9.50 fare.


Mr Thompson pulled Pollard out of


the vehicle, lead- ing to a stand-off and an exchange of punches. Mr Thompson had retrieved a wheel brace from his car, but Pollard took the weapon from him and struck him forcefully in the face. Para- medics later found Mr Thompson bleeding from his eyes, ears, and head. The victim suffered a bleed on the brain alongside facial and skull fractures. He underwent emergency surgery the same morning and further operations but doctors fear he is “likely to permanently lose his sight in his left eye”. The court heard Pollard has 13


previous convictions for 31 offences, including a 10-year sentence in 2019 for a knifepoint robbery on another taxi driver. Defence counsel, Alex Langhorn, stated Pollard was travelling to see his children and felt “deeply ashamed” of his actions. Sentencing him for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, Recorder Anna Price noted that Pollard committed the attack while on licence and under the influence


of alcohol. She


acknowledged his history of trauma but highlighted the severe consequences of the attack: “It may only have been one blow, but it caused catastrophic injuries. He will permanently bear the after effects of that blow to his head.”


PHTM NOVEMBER 2026


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