Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver tells of his throat slash horror

A CABBIE has relived the horrifying moment when he realised his throat had been cut in a botched robbery attempt. Lynn Johns was attacked by a passenger who grabbed him around the neck from behind and demanded money.

The Yellow Cabs driver, who has since had 25 stitches put into the wound, floored the accelerator without thinking. "I got down the road and my throat was feeling sore," said 54-year-old Mr Johns, who lives in the Mayhill area of Swansea.

"I thought it must have been caused by his fingers dragging off as I drove away. I put my hand up and there was a little bit of blood on my fingers.

"Then as I drove further along I could feel something trickling down my chest. I put my hand up to a different part of my throat and it was absolutely covered in blood. "I looked in the mirror and there was a big, gaping wound across my throat."

Mr Johns was called to Townhill Road to collect a male fare around 2.55am on Monday. They stopped near the Eagle Service station on Llangyfelach Road where the suspect got out for a short time.

He returned and the cab continued to Roger Street, Treboeth, where the passenger struck as he was getting out. "He grabbed me by the throat," said Mr Johns. "He demanded money. I don't know if panic set in but I put the car into gear and drove off.

"I wasn't worried whether he was hanging on, in the taxi or what — I just wanted to get away. I don't know if he had a knife. I didn't see anything. I only felt his hands dragging off my throat. "I didn't feel anything either, not at first. I was half a mile down the road before I realised there was this rather large cut."

After he saw how badly he was injured he pulled into a lay-by and called 999. "I cannot fault the police or the ambulance because they were with me in minutes," he said. "They took me to Morriston Hospital and I had 25 stitches put in.

"I'm off work but I don't know how long for. The biggest problem for me, though, will be when I go back. "I'll say I feel great. But when it comes to picking someone up, that might be a different matter. I don't know how I'll feel then, especially if I have to pick up youngsters.

"Nothing like this has happened to me before, not to this extent. I've had youngsters demand money but nobody has physically attacked me. So I don't know what the psychological effect will be."

An 18-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident. Last night he was being held at Swansea Central Police Station. Anyone with information is asked to call Swansea police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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IDFIMH

Man charged over Swansea taxi driver throat slash attack

Friday, March 26, 2010, 09:37

Police have charged a man in connection with the attempted robbery of a taxi driver.

Lynn Johns (pictured; click source link) suffered an injury to his throat in the incident in the early hours of March 22.

He was driving a Yellow Cabs taxi which was called to Townhill Road at around 2.55am to collect a passenger.

The alleged attack on Mr Johns, aged 54, from Mayhill, took place in Roger Street in Treboeth.

A spokesman for South Wales Police said an 18-year-old man had been charged with attempted robbery, and was due to appear at Swansea Magistrates Court today.

Source; thisissouthwales.co.uk

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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