JUST...
12 MONTHS FOR MIDDLESBROUGH TAXI FARE EVADER
A taxi fare dodger who punched a taxi driver in the face was jailed last month.
The judge told Michael Swan, 20, that the courts would protect public service workers such as taxi drivers. Swan had been drink- ing when he got into the front passenger seat of the taxi at 11.15pm from The Cleveland pub in Mid- dlesbrough to go to North Ormesby. At the end of the trip he attempted to get out saying he could not pay the £4.90 fare, and the driver, Abnan Siddique, activated the central locking system. Swan punched him in the face. Police went to the scene and arrested
Swan, said prosecutor Jacqueline Edwards. Swan had twice breached a suspend- ed jail sentence imposed in June last year for dishonesty. His lawyer, Robert Mochrie, said police photographs taken after his arrest showed he was injured in a struggle with the taxi driver.
According to the Teesside Evening Gazette, Mr Mochrie told Teesside Crown Court: “It would appear that from his injuries the taxi driver was capable of deal- ing with the situation. Swan accepts that he was drunk at the time and got into the taxi when he was not in a position to be able to
pay the fare.” Judge Tony Briggs told Swan: “Those who perform public service require the protection of the courts, and taxi drivers who take fares to their destination are enti- tled to expect payment as well as courteous behaviour and also not to be assaulted. “This was a nasty inci- dent and a breach of a suspended sentence and custody is inevitable.”
Swan, from Middles- brough, was sentenced to 12 months’ in jail after he pleaded guilty to com- mon assault, making off without payment and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a lock knife.
FINE FOR DROITWICH MAN AFTER WHEELIE BIN ATTACK ON CAB
A man who picked up a wheelie bin and threw it at a taxi because he thought the fare was too high has been fined and ordered to
pay for the damage. According to the Worcester News, James Price, from Ladywood, near Droit- wich, admitted
causing criminal dam- age at Worcester Magistrates’ Court. Matt Dodson, prosecut- ing said Price had been out in Worcester and got a taxi home. When the driver told him the fare was £12.70 he gave him £10 and began searching his pockets for more money.
The cabbie
then said it would be an extra £3 for the time he was taking.
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An angry dispute erupted between them and Price picked up a wheelie bin and threw it at the passenger door window causing it to smash, also dam- aging the door panel. The police were informed and Price was arrested after being identified by using a video identifi- cation panel.
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Price was ordered to pay £242.50 compen- sation for damaging the window. He was also fined £85, ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
18 MONTHS FOR TEEN WHO ATTACKED HUDDERSFIELD CABBIE
A drunken teenager who tried to rob a Hud- dersfield taxi driver at knifepoint has been locked up by a judge. Jamie Burlington- Kent, 17, pulled out a lock knife and thrust it towards the face of cabbie Rajatalat Khan shouting: “Give me all your money.”
CCTV footage of the
incident in John Wil- iam Street showed Burlington-Kent kick- ing out at one of the car’s windows before leaving the scene. Police officers later arrested him and found the discarded lock knife in the area. During his police inter- view Burlington-Kent said he would not
have stabbed the driv- er, but wanted to scare him into handing over the money.
According to the Hud- dersfield Daily Examiner, the teenag- er pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery charge and was sen- tenced to an 18-month detention and training order.
FOUR YEARS FOR MAN WHO ‘CAR-JACKED’ BRADFORD TAXI
A 22-year-old man has been jailed for four years for threatening to shoot a taxi driver in a late night car-jacking. Daniel McBride pointed at Gaffar Ahmed and shouted: “Just get out or I’ll shoot you,” Bradford Crown Court heard. Judge Roger Scott told McBride, of Man- ningham: “It was a two-handed robbery of a vulnerable servant of the public.”
According to the Brad- ford Telegraph and Argus, McBride plead-
ed guilty to robbing Mr Ahmed of his Toyota Hiace minibus on April 22 this year. Prosecu- tor Paul Nicholson said that Mr Ahmed, who worked for Village Cars in Shipley, was called to Clifton Place, Shipley, late at night. Two men approached him and one of them, not before the court, demanded: “Get out or we will kill you.” Mr Nicholson said McBride pointed at Mr Ahmed as if he was holding a gun and
threatened to shoot him. Mr Ahmed tried to remove his car keys but got out of the vehi- cle fearing he was being held at gunpoint. The court heard McBride had previous convictions for arson, burglary and theft. McBride’s barrister, David McGonigal, said the robbery was not his idea. It was committed in drink and no actual violence was used. There never was a gun and the minibus was recovered undamaged.
TWO YEARS FOR HALIFAX THUG WHO ATTACKED TAXI DRIVER
Campaigners have welcomed a two-year prison sentence for a thug who attacked and robbed a taxi driver. Craig Watson, 25, from Halifax, was jailed for leaving the driver needing three stitches around an eye, and stealing £150.
Judge Christopher Attwool, who sen- tenced Watson to two years and three months said: “This was a nasty attack on a vunerable member of the community.”
Now police chiefs and taxi drivers who have formed a working group to combat the growing number of attacks on Calderdale’s cabbies, have wel- comed the decision.
Arshad Mahmood, treasurer of the Calderdale Private Hire Association, told the Halifax Courier: “We are really delighted. It is very reassuring for us that these attacks are finally being treat- ed more seriously and just hope this will deter anyone else who thinks drivers are fair game.”
David Mackay, prose- cuting, told Bradford Crown Court: “The driver tried to talk but Watson said he didn’t want to and tried to smoke a roll up ciga- rette in the car. The driver said he couldn’t smoke and Watson replied, ‘Me and you are going to fall out in a minute.’”
Mr Mackay said the driver pulled over and Watson demanded his earnings before punching him in the face and reaching in and taking the money from behind the steer- ing wheel. Watson then told the driver he was robbing him because he “didn’t have a white face” before running off down Tuel Lane. Nigel Hamilton, for Watson, said he had been drinking heavily before the attack and confessed his crime the next day. He said: “Any robbery on a taxi driver at night is of course a serious offence and he is gen- uinely remorseful.”
PHTM OCTOBER 2009
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