Taxi Driver Online

Taxi worker could face retrial in wounding case


A TAXI worker accused of giving a cabbie a bogus fare which ended in a savage assault could be facing a retrial.

Zahid Shabbir had been on trial at Burnley Crown Court for more than a week facing an allegation of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

But on Tuesday, the jury was discharged by Recorder Paul Lawton after failing to reach a verdict following a day of deliberations.

The defendant (26), of Leeds Road, Nelson, was bailed until October 16th for the prosecution to decide if he is to face a retrial. He must live at his home address, report to Nelson police station each Friday and not contact the alleged victim, Ghulam Abbas.

The jury had been told Mr Abbas was attacked by a masked gang in Nelson. He was said to have had a noxious substance sprayed in his eyes by a passenger and his face was then slashed from mouth to ear by three men.

The court had heard the defendant, who was later found to have Mr Abbas's blood on his top and a training shoe, was said to have given the alleged victim the bogus fare before travelling to the place where he was beaten up by the men. Mr Abbas managed to escape as his assailants tried to cut the other side of his face.

Shabbir was later arrested at A1 Taxis on Lonsdale Street, Nelson and after he was bailed went to Pakistan for five weeks with the permission of the police. He denied the allegation against him and said he had nothing to do with the assault.

He told the jury he had no idea how the blood came to be on his top and said he was not there when Mr Abbas was assaulted.

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