Taxi Driver Online

Hunt for taxi killer after man is stabbed to death

A 25-YEAR-OLD taxi driver has been stabbed to death while working in Greenock. Mark Fitzsimmons was found dying beside his taxi last night - just minutes after he picked up a street fare.

Paramedics frantically tried to save his life but he died a short time later in Inverclyde's Royal Hospital. Murder squad detectives were today urgently trying to establish his final movements.

The murder has stunned the local taxi community, who now fear for their own safety. Tributes were today paid to the young driver, who was found with serious stab wounds next to his Nissan Primera in Hole Farm Road around 9pm. He was found on a roadway next to wasteground, which today was cordoned off by police.

Mark was a self-employed general hire driver but worked with Inverclyde Taxis. Henry Glasgow, managing director of Inverclyde Taxis, said: "Our firm and the wider taxi community are trying to come to terms with Mark's death, which is an absolute tragedy.

"He was a young man going about his business and trying to earn a living. Now his life has been cut short. "Mark was a well-respected and well-liked driver. He had a great rapport with our office staff and he will be sadly missed."

"The business is in shock this morning and it just highlights some of the safety issues which drivers have going about their daily work. "Drivers can be in a really vulnerable position due to the fact people know they have cash in their vehicle."

Detectives were today expected to begin door-to-door inquiries and forensic experts were combing the area. The scene is overlooked by flats which are due to be demolished and just a few residents remain in a block close by.

One woman, who escorted her kids past the death scene, said: "I've been here for a few months and it's very quiet at night, so I was shocked when I found police on our doorstep. "I noticed the flashing lights and when I looked out ambulance crews seemed to be attending to a man."

Police said a post-mortem would be carried out.

The death brought back chilling memories of the murder of Greenock taxi driver Raymond Mullen 18 years ago. The 38-year-old's body was found in a back road between Greenock and Kilmacolm after he had picked up a fare in February 1990.

A man later walked free from the High Court in Paisley after a jury found a murder charge against him not proven.

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