Taxi Driver Online

Nottingham Evening Post

August 8, 2006 Tuesday

HEADLINE: 'The situation is beyond your control'

Legal Affairs Correspondent REBECCA SHERDLEY gives her account...

Many times I have written about someone who has been the victim of gun crime.

But to suddenly find yourself staring at a gun - whether it is real or not - is terrifying. The situation is completely beyond your control. At first, when the trio of men walked in front of our taxi, we wondered if they were just crossing the road. The car slowed to a stop and we waited for them to move. They didn't.

Then the first man, an Asian male, wearing a red scarf across his face, walked calmly to the passenger door and went to open it. Had he mistaken our taxi as vacant? My first thought was, that the door would be locked. Taxi drivers usually lock all their doors to stop people dodging the fare. I was surprised when he was able to open the door. I told the driver to keep going.

As he edged forward, I saw what appeared to be a black handgun through the gap in the front passenger seat. Even then the reality of the situation had not sunk in. If this was a prank, it was not funny. I just wanted to get home. Then I heard a popping sound and told the driver to keep going, insisting that the men would move. I looked for the lock on my side of the door to check it, but by then we were moving again and I was relieved we were out of the situation.

The police response to the incident was fantastic. Armed officers searched for the trio within minutes of our call. Sadly, they have not yet been caught.
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Here is the original story.
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Nottingham Evening Post

August 8, 2006 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Taxi held up at gunpoint

BYLINE: KEVIN PEACHEY

Three men held up a taxi at gunpoint in a terrifying nighttime incident.

The trio forced the taxi to stop before one wearing a mask pulled open the passenger door and pointed a gun into the back of the cab. The other two stood in front of the vehicle. But the driver sped off after hearing the gun "pop". It happened at the junction of Wilford Grove and Bathley Street in The Meadows at 2am on Sunday.

The passengers were Evening Post reporters Alex Claydon, 26, and Rebecca Sherdley, 33. "The three lads just appeared from nowhere," said Miss Sherdley. "At first I just thought they were crossing the road but then they did not move." The 30-second ordeal was close to the site of the weekend's Riverside Festival.

The reporters, who were returning to their homes in West Bridgford after a friend's wedding reception in the city, travelled via The Meadows in the pre-booked taxi to drop off a friend. As it slowed to drive over speed humps, the three men blocked the path of the car at the well-lit corner.

Mr Claydon said: "One of them wearing a red bandana around his face pulled out a gun and grabbed the handle of the passenger side door." They said they heard the gun "pop" inside the car. "We just started shouting, 'Drive! Drive! He has got a gun'," said Mr Claydon. "I have never been so terrified." The other two men stood aside as the taxi drove towards them.

As soon as they reached home, Mr Claydon called police and two armed response teams were dispatched. A Notts police spokeswoman said officers were hunting the three men. CCTV images from the area were being studied.

She said there was no evidence of the gun being fired. It remains unclear whether it was real or an imitation. Mr Claydon, who praised the swift police response, said: "We work day to day talking to victims of crime and we know how serious it is. "To suddenly become a part of that was unimaginably awful. It is important this does not happen to anyone else."

Miss Sherdley said: "If I had been on my own in the taxi, I would have been absolutely terrified." The gunman was described as Asian, in his mid-20s, slim, and wearing a red bandana and dark clothing.

Writing in the Evening Post after the latest crime figures were published, Notts Chief Constable had welcomed the fact gun crime in Notts fell by 17.4% in 2005/06 compared to 2004/05.

Ray Butterworth, spokesman for The Association of Nottinghamshire Private Hire Operators, said night-time attacks on drivers were still a concern. He said they were being offered safety screens and in-car cameras with sound recording, but many were refusing them because they cost £400 each. "They would be a form of insurance and a means to give drivers more confidence," he said.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact DC Steven Willetts of Central CID on 0115 967 0999 ext 5132, or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.
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