|
Cabbie's ordeal far from isolated case
HE thought he was going to die. With a 10in carving knife being twisted against his chest by the stranger sitting next to him, Gordon Smith believed his time was up.
Nicholas Rankin, who had moments earlier approached Gordon's taxi as dozens of others do each day, had been released from prison on licence just nine days before.
He had been carrying an innocuous plastic bag as he got into the passenger's seat - but there was nothing to give the cabbie any hint of the terror that were about to follow.
"He kept fumbling with the bag and then got this huge knife out," he said. "It was a proper carving knife, and he had it right up to my chest, right on my pacemaker, and he knew how to twist it to dig it in."
Rankin demanded cash, but on being told there was none because Gordon had only just started work, his tone took a chilling turn."He said he had murdered someone before and told me that he was going to kill me. "I just sat there quietly and he said again 'whatever happens, I'm definitely going to murder you'."
Searching for possible improvised weapons to fight back with, the stunned driver considered reaching for a fire extinguisher at his feet, or even ripping the meter from the dashboard. "He had the knife there at such a crucial point, so I couldn't make a move for either," said Gordon.
Then the taxi pulled up to wait for the barriers at a level crossing. "He pointed the knife away slightly and I just hit the door and went. I was really expecting a stab in the back but it didn't come, so I just ran. "I was very fortunate that I got away with it - I was very, very lucky."
Gordon has been driving taxis for 40 years, and the attack on him is the most serious ever witnessed in the New Forest. But he believes it is symptomatic of the increased dangers faced every day by those in his profession.
"We're very, very vulnerable, because when you think about it, we're out there on our own," he said. "I have a good look at people before they get in but you can't really turn people away. You try to suss things out but you haven't got long, and you can't always tell. Some people just have that little devil in them and you don't know what that devil is capable of."
Gordon's ordeal came just months after an Eastleigh cabbie was subjected to a horrifying late-night assault in which he was strangled and set alight by a customer. Derek Fletcher was left in hospital for several months after suffering severe burns to his legs. Police are still searching for his attacker.
Gordon believes there needs to be more security to help any drivers who find themselves in the same situation. "I had nothing to protect myself with. A camera in each cab would at least show who's getting in our taxis, and might put some people off," he said.
His calls are backed by Tony Hetherington, New Forest District Council's taxi licensing officer, who said anecdotal evidence shows life as a cabbie is getting increasingly dangerous.
"Taxi drivers regularly get people not paying and running off, and they might even get threatened. That's been the extent of it until recently," he said.
"In places like Birmingham and Yorkshire there's an awful lot of violence towards taxi drivers. I've heard of drivers carrying weapons with them because it's so bad. "Worryingly, it does seem to be percolating down."
Perry McMillan, chairman of Southampton and Eastleigh Hackney Taxis, believes drivers are in a vulnerable position and wants the authorities to be more responsive to the challenges they face.
"Anyone can get into a taxi - you don't know who's getting in the car next to you," he said. "We're dealing with the public, and dealing with the public we're putting ourselves in a dangerous situation. It's something we have to be mindful of.
"Most of the customers are great, but it's the type of job where you can have a great day, but then someone verbally abuses you, or even worse, something more serious.
"Unfortunately it's the nature of the job, but we want assurances from the council that there will be more mediation with the police to help make things safer."
_________________
IDFIMH
|
Login
Register
FAQ
