UNJUST DESERTS
PH DRIVER WHO HUNTED DOWN RIVAL IN LIVERPOOL ROAD RAGE CHASE WALKS FREE
A private hire driver who used his vehicle as a weapon to hunt down and repeatedly ram a rival motorist has avoided a prison sentence, despite a judge declaring his behaviour “deserved custody”. Hawkar Karimi, of Wavertree, engaged in a terrifying high-speed pursuit through residential streets before smashing his cab into the victim’s car during a shocking episode of road rage on Edge Lane. The confrontation began when Karimi became enraged after missing a green traffic light. What started as a minor traffic frustration rapidly escalated into violence when both drivers pulled over and engaged in a physical punch-up in the street. Following the fistfight, the other driver drove away, believing the
incident was over. Karimi, how- ever, refused to let the matter drop. Getting back behind the wheel of his PHV, Karimi used his vehicle to track the man down. For several minutes, the cabbie tailed the victim through heavy traffic and narrow residential roads. The pursuit culminated on Edge Lane, one of Liverpool’s busiest thoroughfares, where Karimi deliberately and repeatedly shunted his cab into the back of the victim’s car, pushing it into oncoming traffic. The entire ordeal was captured on Karimi’s own dashcam, providing prosecutors with undeniable
evidence of the attack. Karimi later admitted his actions were “classless and very stupid.” Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court, Karimi faced a stern rebuke from the bench. The presiding judge made it clear that the severity of the offence - using a public service vehicle to terrorise another road user - warranted immediate imprisonment. However, Karimi walked free from court due to recent changes in sentencing guidelines and emergency legislative measures aimed at managing prison overcrowding. Under the current legal framework, required to
judges are suspend short
custodial sentences whenever possible, allowing the rogue driver to avoid jail time.
LITHERLAND MOTHER COLLAPSES IN COURT AFTER AVOIDING JAIL FOR PH DRIVER SEXUAL ASSAULT
A mother of four, 41, has been spared jail at Liverpool Crown Court for sexually assaulting a PH driver while heavily intoxicated. Emma Richards, of Litherland, sobbed and fell to the floor despite being given an 18-month com- munity order and a 6-month alcohol abstinence requirement, reacting with distress upon learning she would also be placed on the sex offenders’ register for 5 years. She originally denied the offence, but Judge Simon Medland KC noted that “the evidence against her was overwhelming because of the car CCTV footage.” The assault occurred at 8:50pm on
52
12 June this year, when the victim picked up Richards. Sitting in the front passenger seat after drinking heavily, Richards told the driver he “smelled nice”, grabbed his left arm, and tried to kiss him. Despite being rebuffed, she grabbed his arm again, touched and rubbed his groin over a period of a few minutes, and exposed her chest. Prosecutor Ben Stanley stated that the victim did not tell her to stop “because he was worried how she would react as they were trapped in the vehicle together.” The four-minute ordeal ended when Richards left the car, prompting the victim to drive round
the corner and call the police. In a moving statement, the driver explained how the attack had forced him to give up his livelihood due to severe anxiety. In mitigation, defence barrister Matt O’Neill described Richards’s life as “very traumatic at times” as a survivor of domestic abuse who had previously attempted suicide. Judge Menary acknowledged her history but emphasised the severe harm caused to the victim. He remarked that “sexual assault, whether committed by a woman or a man is a very serious thing” which “often has a profound effect on the victim.”
NOVEMBER 2026 PHTM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82
