Nelson taxi driver's ordeal as attacker goes berserk
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne ... s_berserk/
A TAXI driver cowered in terror as his cab was attacked by an angry man wielding a baseball bat.
Mr Hussain said he had unwittingly Hackney carriage driver Muzhar Hussain, 52, said he could only watch inside as his Toyota Avensis was subjected to a sustained attack in Cobden Street, Nelson.
become involved in a dispute when asked to wait while his passenger picked up tools from a house.
Now he fears his livelihood could be in jeopardy as he said his W-registration car was expected to be written off.
Taxi leaders have also called for an urgent meeting with the police and Pendle Council over the violent outburst and the safety of other taxi drivers.
Mr Hussain, a cabbie for the past eight years, said he picked up a fare outside the town’s new public transport interchange and took him to Cobden Street area, just after 4pm last Friday.
Mr Hussain, who spoke through Mohammed Akram, secretary of Pendle Hackney Carriage Association, said the customer retrieved some tools from a house under renovation.
But without warning a van appeared, Mr Hussain said, blocking his car’s exit.
A second man emerged, brandishing a baseball bat.
He said this man smashed the vehicle’s front windscreen and dragged the passenger from the cab, also shattering a rear passenger window.
According to Mr Hussain it appeared the pair were in dispute over the tools, which were now in the taxi’s boot.
The cabbie said he unlocked the boot after the rear lights were smashed with the baseball bat.
Meanwhile the passenger fled the scene.
But Mr Akram said that the police were called and Mr Hussain was taken to the police station.
Mr Akram said: “We are absolutely gobsmacked that this has happened and are seeking urgent talks with Pendle police and the council.
“This was a dispute between a man and his boss and nothing to do with the taxi driver. This fellow has very poor English and didn’t know what was happening. Now he is having headaches and is very upset by what has gone on.”
Mohammed Ilyas, association chairman, said: “I am completely shocked by this. Taxi drivers are sick of this kind of thing happening.
“This is criminal damage and we should not have to put up with this sort of thing. This is just one more incident we are concerned about.”
Sgt Steve Rides, of Nelson Police, confirmed that a complaint had been received about the baseball bat incident and an officer would be interviewing Mr Hussain and the other man about the matter in due course.
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