Taxi Driver Online

Burnley Express

October 27, 2006

HEADLINE: Brutal Attack On Cabbie

A TAXI driver was taken to hospital last weekend and his car was left with approximately £2,000 worth of damage after being the victim of an alleged "racist" attack.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Mr Mohammed Ahmed, a father of four, claims to have picked up a man and a woman from a house on Ringstone Crescent, Nelson, and as he began driving, he said the pair began a "heavy verbal and physical racist attack" on him.

Mr Mohammed Akram, the boss at Nelson-based Cavalier Taxis, claims that the verbal abuse continued to the point where Mr Ahmed stopped the car and got out on to the pavement where the two passengers also got out of the taxi and began hitting him.

Allegedly, another taxi driver from the firm then turned up at the scene and the abuse continued. Mr Ahmed ended up "on the floor covered in blood," said Mr Akram.

The two are then said to have fled the scene when they saw the male returning, after disappearing for a few minutes, with two others all armed with weapons that Mr Akram thought to be spades.

The two drivers allegedly made it to a bus shelter on the corner of Townhouse Road where an ambulance was called.

Police were called to the scene, where all but one of the taxi's windows had been smashed and the car had been dented.

A 23-year-old local man has been arrested in connection with the incident and has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Police are now investigating the incident along with a counter allegation.

Police in Nelson are to hold a meeting with the local taxi association following the alleged attack and in the meantime they are keen to reassure drivers that incidents involving them and their vehicles will not be tolerated and prompt action will be taken against alleged offenders.

Pendle Chief Inspector Richard Debicki said: "Reports of attacks on taxi drivers are always taken extremely seriously and thoroughly investigated.

"This meeting with the local taxi association has been arranged so that we can sit down and discuss any recent problems with them and where necessary, reassure them that positive police action will be taken."
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Well let's hope those fine words are followed by fine actions.

Maybe we will be able to add the story of the conviction, when and if it happens, to this thread.

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IDFIMH