Taxi Driver Pulled Knife On Rival In Fare Dispute
Friday, July 17, 2009
A taxi driver who pulled out a knife in a dispute with a rival cabbie has been warned that he could face jail.
Gary O'Connor, aged 41, got the weapon from a car in a rage to slash the tyres of another taxi, a court heard.
O'Connor, who claimed that the rival cabbie had stolen his fare, punched him several times through the window.
Plymouth magistrates ruled that they did not have enough power to sentence O'Connor and sent him to Crown court to face a judge.
Presiding magistrate David Hemmings said: "There is great public concern about rising knife crime."
O'Connor, of Morley Court in the city centre, was warned that he could face jail.
He admitted possession of a knife and causing criminal damage to a taxi door, costing £75 to repair, on April 21.
Louise Howard, prosecuting, said the victim later told police he had been 'stroked' by O'Connor – a trade term meaning he had jumped the queue to steal a fare. She added that the rival taxi driver admitted that he had retaliated in turn by 'stroking him'.
Miss Howard said that the complainant was sitting in his cab outside the Skiving Scholar pub at about 3.30am when O'Connor approached.
She added: "O'Connor started throwing punches through the window and he held the door shut and kicked it, causing the damage."
The victim managed to get out of the car and admitted hitting O'Connor back to restrain him, Miss Howard said, but O'Connor went back to his own car, leaned in and pulled out a knife.
He began to walk towards the other driver with the weapon but instead handed it over to a doorman from the pub who had come to intervene.
O'Connor told police in interview that he intended to slash the tyres of the other taxi and that he kept the knife in his car because he went crabbing. He claimed that the other driver had kicked him through an open window of the taxi.
Representing himself in court, O'Connor said that he had 'just lost it'.
He added that he was angry because his own tyres had previously been slashed, but had later apologised to the other driver.
O'Connor was released on unconditional bail until he faces sentencing by a judge at Crown court on August 21.
Mr Hemmings urged him to see a solicitor.
Source; thisisplymouth.co.uk
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