...TIMES FOUR ARRESTS AFTER ACCRINGTON OFFICE ATTACK


Four men have been arrested for an alleged racist attack.


According to the Bolton News, police said the men walked into the Max Taxis office, in Edgar Street, Accring- ton and became


racially abusive to- wards two Asian staff on a recent Tuesday. One of the men then punched a glass divider, before smash- ing a computer mon- itor, said police. No- one was injured.


Two men from Accrington, aged 25 and 30, and two men from Belfast, aged 31 and 34, were arrested for racially aggravated criminal damage and are being questioned by police.


APPEAL AFTER EXETER DRIVER ASSAULTED


Police are appealing for witnesses after an inci- dent which left a cabbie with head injuries. The 36-year-old was subjected to a late- night assault at the side of a busy road by two men he had picked up and was driving home. The incident hap- pened at the junction of Pinwood Lane and


Beacon Lane, in Bea- con Heath at about 2am on August 29. The taxi cab involved was a black Skoda. A police spokesman told the Exeter Express and Star: “The taxi driver was driving his fare home and an argument arose at the side of the road. It was a serious assault.


“In particular, we would like to speak to the occupants of a vehicle that drove past during the attack.” Two men from Exeter, aged 21 and 40, were arrested on suspicion of robbery and have been released on bail. Witnesses can call DC Mark Ould on 08452 777444.


MAN ROBBED A DIDCOT DRIVER


Police are trying to trace a man after a taxi driver was robbed at Blewbury.


The driver picked up the man in Didcot and took him to Woodway, in Blewbury, at about 2.30am on Sunday, August 15. He refused to pay the fare, pro- duced a Stanley-type knife and demanded money, said police.


According to the Abingdon Herald, the man ran off with the driver’s mobile phone, wallet and cash. He is described as white, in his late twen- ties to early thirties, of slim build and about 5ft 10in to 6ft tall with brown/blond hair, worn in a ponytail, and dark eyes.


He has a northern


accent and was wear- ing a white hooded top with a graffiti motif on the front.


He also has tattoos on his right hand and wore a silver ring on his right eyebrow. Anyone with informa- tion can call DC John Ablett on 08458 505505 or Crimestop- pers anonymously on 0800 555111.


KILLING FEAR FOR TELFORD PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS


Escalating violence by members of the public against private hire drivers in Telford could soon lead to one of them being killed, it has been claimed. The warning was sounded by the chair- man of the Telford Private Hire Drivers’ Association, following attacks on drivers over a recent weekend. Mohammed Zaman has been backed in his claims by taxi company bosses from the Telford Private Hire Operators’ Association.


Mr Zaman and opera- tors’ association mem- ber Terry Spooner


spoke out in the wake of two savage attacks on private hire drivers in Madeley.


In one incident a driver was hit in the face with a brick and in the other the victim had his eye- brow “bitten off”. Mr Zaman claimed there were many other attacks which went unreported to police because the drivers were afraid of reprisals.


He told the Shropshire Star: “Three weeks ago a driver had his nose broken when he was robbed in Park Street, Madeley. Then, ten days ago, another


OCTOBER 2010 PHTM


driver was robbed at knifepoint in Madeley on a car park opposite the police station. “I was shocked by that incident. If it goes on like this we are going to have a driver killed soon.”


Mr Spooner also called for “more support” from police. Richard Langton, acting Chief Inspector for Telford, said a dozen police units were dis- patched to the assault in Madeley.


He said: “There is con- cern that police are not taking these assaults seriously, which I would say is not the case.”


LIVERPOOL CABBIE STABBED IN KNIFE ATTACK


A Liverpool taxi driver may lose the use of his hand after he was sub- jected to a late-night frenzied knife attack by a passenger. The victim was stabbed repeatedly and ordered to drive at knifepoint through the streets. The 33-year-old was then dumped out of his private hire vehicle and left badly wound- ed in the road.


His attacker sped off in the stolen cab before smashing into a crash barrier and abandoning the car. According to the Liver- pool Echo, the cabbie, from Toxteth, picked up a fare in Colville Street, Wavertree, just after midnight on Sat- urday 11 September. The two men asked to go to Hale Road, Widnes, where one of


them got out.


The second man asked to be taken to Higher Road, also Widnes. But when they arrived and the cabbie checked the fare he was attacked with a 15cm-long knife. The victim was knifed repeatedly in his left hand. But despite bleeding heavily he was ordered to drive to Boundary Lane.


DRIVER ATTACKED IN SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE


Police want to speak to two men about an assault on a taxi driver in south Oxfordshire. At about 2.40am on July 18, a 32-year-old taxi driver picked up three men from a kebab shop on Greys Road, Henley-on- Thames, who asked to be taken to Wallingford. The men were verbally abusive to the driver, and he stopped his


vehicle in Fairmile. The man in the front seat took about £12.50 in cash from one of the vehicle compart- ments, then got out of the taxi, walked round to the driver’s door, and hit the driver in the face.


The victim called for help using his radio and another taxi driver appeared. The second taxi driver was then


assaulted by the same passenger, before all three passengers ran away. One man received minor injuries. PC Jamie Pitcher, investigating the assault, told the Oxford Times: “I would urge anyone who has any information about the incident to contact me on 0845 8 505 505 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”


NORTHAMPTON DRIVERS LIVING IN FEAR


Northampton drivers have voiced concerns that colleagues could be killed, following a terrifying knifepoint attack by a gang of three women.


The victim was attacked in Birchfield Road, Northampton on the evening of Bank Holiday Monday and the violent attack is being linked to a similar incident which was reported to police the following night. Taxi companies are now being given advice by the police and officers have pledged to step up patrols in the Abing- ton area of the town. A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police told the Northampton Chroni- cle and Echo: “Three women booked a taxi and gave the driver instructions to go to


Ashburnham Road. The woman sitting behind the driver placed a knife against his throat and demanded that he hand over money. “The driver stopped the vehicle suddenly and managed to loosen the knife from his throat. The women made off from the vehicle without man- aging to steal anything. The taxi driv- er required hospital treatment for cuts to his face and hands.” The knifepoint attacks have put drivers on red alert and Kevin Willsher, chairman of NPHA affiliated Northampton Private Hire Association, said: “It’s a really bad state of affairs. Years ago you would only get one or two attacks in 12 months, now we are seeing one attack


a week. “People are travelling with knives and you have no idea who is going to be in the back of your car. These gangs are mad, it’s frightening. If it carries on like this you could easily end up with someone dead. We’ll be notifying all our drivers to be extra cautious.”


All the women are white and aged in their late teens - one is skinny with light blond shoulder-length hair, one has black shoul- der-length hair and the third woman is slim with black hair. Witnesses to either incident, or anyone with information relat- ing to the incidents, can call Northampton- shire Police on 03000 111 222. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


PAGE 69


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  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104