UNJUST DESERTS
SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR DRUNK MAN WHO PUNCHED BRIDGEND CABBIE IN HEAD WHILE DRIVING
An intoxicated man launched a “cowardly” attack upon a taxi driver while he was driving. John Watson, 29, had been drinking in Bridgend town centre on November 17 last year having been at his best friend’s funeral. Cabbie, Steven Williams, picked him up outside a pub with two women and a another man, and drove him towards Wildmill. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard that when Watson got out of the vehicle he
slammed the door. Mr Williams also got out and asked why he slammed the door, telling him the taxi was his “livelihood”. Prosecutor Martha Smith-Higgins said Watson immediately took a “fighting stance” and told the victim he would “knock his f****** head off”. He swung at Mr Williams who avoided three punches but was hit by one of the women, who had got out of the taxi. He fell to the floor and Watson joined the woman in kicking,
COMMUNITY ORDER FOR TEEN WHO CRASHED INTO PHV INJURING PASSENGER
A man spent eight days in a coma after a 16-year-old driving his mum’s car ploughed into the PHV he was riding home in. Michael Hanrahan had taken the keys
to his mother’s Mercedes A200 while she slept. He reached speeds of up to 80mph in a 30mph zone in Ashton-under-Lyne, later claiming he was being pursued by a car which he feared contained men armed with machetes. Hanrahan went through a red light and ploughed into a PHV, causing it to spin and hit some railings. The passenger, a man in his 20s, spent eight days in an induced coma after suffering a catalogue of injuries. In the months following the horror crash, he could not carry out basic tasks including washing and dressing himself, and felt ‘embarrassed’ and ‘useless’. Hanrahan, now 19, walked free from court after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
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Manchester Crown Court heard the collision happened on Oldham Road at 11pm on December 13, 2020. Hanrahan crashed into a Toyota Prius, which had been driving ‘entirely appropriately’. The driver sustained minor injuries but the passenger was seriously hurt. Hanrahan fled the scene but handed himself in two days later after seeing posts on social media about the crash, the court heard. Judge Sarah Johnston said under the law she had to sentence Hanrahan if he were a youth, as he was 16 at the time of the offence. “There is no sentence that I could pass that could undo the harm that has been caused,” the judge said. She said she was satisfied Hanrahan can rehabilitate himself. He was sentenced to an 18-month community order, 200 hours’ un- paid work and 25 rehabilitation days. Hanrahan, from Droylsden, was banned from driving for two years.
stamping and punching the victim. The defendant kicked Mr Williams in his face, head and ribs as he was curled up in a ball. “The other man in the taxi shouted “Stop, he’s had enough”. Mr Williams got back in his taxi but the defendant also got in, so the victim drove to the police station. On the route, Watson began repeatedly punching the cabbie in the back of head from the rear seat as he was driving before putting his fingers in his eyes, mouth and nose and pulling back hard. He also grabbed the driver’s jumper and pulled backwards, leaving Mr Williams unable to breathe. When the taxi stopped outside the police station, Mr Williams and Watson got out of the car and the victim took the defendant to the floor and placed him in a chokehold while calling for help. When police arrived, Watson had got back in the taxi and fallen asleep. Mr Williams suffered bruising, swelling and cuts to his face. Watson, of Pontycymer, pleaded guilty to assault by beating. The court heard he had six previous convictions, the last of which was in 2016 for a public order offence. Sentencing, Recorder Ben Blakemore said: “Your victim was a taxi driver just doing their job. He was unfortunate to pick you up as a fare. This was a cowardly act.” Watson was sentenced to
15
months’ imprisonment suspended for two years. He was made subject to an alcohol abstinence monitor- ing requirement for 120 days, to undergo sessions of a “Thinking Skills” programme and a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
OCTOBER 2023 PHTM
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