Man jailed for assault on taxi driver, 70Last updated at 13:36, Friday, 07 October 2011A drunk passenger who throttled a terrified 70-year-old taxi driver and threatened to kill her has been jailed.
Well-known animal lover Pat Denny feared she would die as she tried in vain to pull Barry Joel’s hands from around her throat.
Joel was yesterday jailed at Furness magistrates for 28 days after he admitted assault by beating on August 15.
Prosecutor Mrs Lisa Hine said: “Pat Denny was a taxi driver aged 70 years, and for the last 12 months has worked for Acacia taxis.
“At 12.50am that morning she went to Bewley Steps in Barrow to pick up a fare. The defendant got in behind her with a woman and said they wanted to go to Abbey Road.
“As they were driving along Park Drive the defendant became verbally abusive, swearing and said he would kill her.”
The court heard the defendant called her abusive names, claimed she had taken the long route round and was ripping him off.
Mrs Hine said: “Three quarters of the way along Park Drive she stopped the taxi and asked them to leave the car. At this point he grabbed her around the throat. She couldn’t speak because she was choking and thought she was going to pass out. She remembered she had a pair of nail scissors in the glove box but she couldn’t reach. She would have used them to try and loosen his hands as she feared for her life.
“He suddenly stopped and got out. As he walked away she shouted ‘you are a raving lunatic and you want locking up.’
“The defendant then started running back towards the car shouting that he was going to kill her so she started reversing and he left.
“The victim was left with a very sore neck and cuts to her ear where his nails had gone in.”
In police interview, Joel, 55, of Whitehall Caravan Park, in the Coast Road, Rampside, Barrow, initially denied being drunk or assaulting the taxi driver but later admitted the offence.
Defence solicitor Mr Graham Jackson said his client was disgusted by his behaviour.
He said Joel had not realised it was an elderly woman driving and had lost his temper because he was very drunk.
Mr Jackson told the court: “He will never appear before a court again. I ask you to accept that he is remorseful and this was an isolated incident.”
Sentencing him presiding magistrate Mr John Falvey said the offence was so serious that custody was the only option.
Joel was also ordered to pay Ms Denny £700 in compensation and £275 in lost earnings.
Ms Denny is well know locally for her turning her garden at Cliff Lane, Barrow, into a refuge for injured birds a decade ago and has since helped hundreds of creatures to survive.
Source; http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/man-jaile ... Path=news/
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