JUST DESERTS


27 MONTHS’ JAIL FOR DARTFORD THUG WHO STAMPED ON CABBIE’S HEAD MULTIPLE TIMES


A violent thug who punched, kicked and repeatedly stamped on the head of a taxi driver during a brutal, unprovoked assault was been jailed for two years and three months on 11 August. Oliver Dryden, a 30-year-old from Orpington, launched the savage attack after a minor road traffic collision on Crossways Boulevard in Dartford on January 15, 2025. The incident began when the victim’s taxi collided with a Peugeot, prompting both drivers to pull over to exchange insurance details. However, Dryden, who was a front-seat passenger in the Peugeot, stepped out of the vehicle and immediately targeted


the taxi driver, punching him in the chest, face and jaw. When the victim attem- pted to retreat to his cab, Dryden dragged him to the ground, kicked him in the face and repeatedly stamped on his head while hurling racist abuse. Bystanders attempted to inter- vene, but the attacker threw an object at the taxi and smashed one of its windows then fled the scene before police arrived. Officers tracked Dryden down to a pub in Bromley a week later and arrested him. He pleaded guilty to


racially aggravated assault, racially aggravated criminal damage and affray, and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court. Investigating officer PC Ellie Boden condemned the violence, stating: “This was a completely unprovoked attack on an innocent man. The assault was carried out in daylight in front of witnesses. “The victim was also subjected to racist abuse, which makes Dryden’s


actions all the more


unacceptable. “I welcome the sentence handed down by the court and hope it provides the victim with some reassurance that Dryden has been held accountable for his actions.”


BATH MAN FINED AFTER LAUNCHING RACIST TIRADE AT TAXI DRIVER


A sixty-year-old man who launched a tirade of racial abuse at a taxi driver after being challenged for allegedly operating as an unregistered cab has been handed a fine in court. Stephen Woods appeared before Bath Magistrates’ Court on August 5, following the ugly confrontation that unfolded on May 10 outside the Bath Spa railway station. The court was told that the incident began when a licensed taxi driver started taking photographs of Woods at the station rank, acting on instructions from a council taxi official following complaints that Woods was illegally picking up fares without being licensed. The confrontation later spilled over


PHTM SEPTEMBER 2026


to the forecourt of a nearby service station, where Woods hurled racist slurs at the driver in front of horrified onlookers, with part of the abuse captured on a mobile phone video. During the outburst, Woods told the victim: “This is not your country. Go back to your country. This is my country.” Police were subsequently called to the scene and arrested Woods, who then directed xenophobic remarks at the arresting officers by asking: “Why don’t you go down to the beach and stop all these immigrants from coming into our country?” Woods, a local resident, pleaded guilty


to a racially aggravated offence involving threatening or


abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. His defence solicitor, Lisa Rowley, explained to the magistrates that her client had originally been at the station to collect a friend’s autistic children and grew anxious when he realised he was being photographed, noting that he struggles with anxiety and various health issues. Addressing the court directly, Woods offered an apology to the magistrates, stating that he had been “anxious about what is happening in this country”. Magistrates ordered Woods to pay a total of £197, comprising an £80 fine, £85 in prosecution costs, and a £32 court surcharge.


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