Taxi Driver Online

Passenger hit taxi driver and pulled on brake

A TAXI passenger who thumped the driver and pulled on the handbrake to escape from the vehicle has been locked up for a year. Ben Anderson could have caused a fatal accident when he tried to bring the taxi to a halt, Durham Crown Court heard.

"Fortunately there appears to have been few other people on the road at the time," said Richard Cowen, prosecuting."Anderson was one of four people picked up in Peterlee town centre by the driver, Mr John Hogg.

"He reports they were boisterous during the journey and one of the passengers pulled off Mr Hogg's hat. "Mr Hogg was then struck in the face and he decided to drive to the nearest police station. "It appears Anderson realised what was happening and he pulled on the taxi's handbrake to bring it to a halt so he could run off."

The court heard police later arrested Anderson and he admitted he had pulled at the handbrake, but denied hitting the driver. Anderson, 20, of South Terrace, Horden, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and vehicle interference on November 21, last year. He has previous convictions for assault, criminal damage, vehicle taking and burglary.

Lorraine Mustard, mitigating, said: "This was at the lower end of the scale of assaults and the injury caused to the driver was unpleasant, but relatively minor. "There is no suggestion other road users were put at risk. "Not long before this offence, Mr Anderson heard the clang of the prison gates for the first time and it is to be hoped that was a salutary lesson for him."

Judge Guy Whitburn QC sentenced Anderson to 12 months in a young offenders' institution. The judge told him: "You carried out these offences within five weeks of being released from another sentence.

"Taxi drivers operating in our towns and cities can reasonably expect a degree of protection from the courts. "Not content with punching this driver, you then pulled on the handbrake of the moving vehicle which could have had lethal consequences.

"If you do not learn from the clang of the prison gates you will hear them more often, as you do on this occasion."

_________________
IDFIMH

Funny, but that could never happen to me in my Taxi no matter how much they tried.