Taxi customer jailed for baseball bat attackA TAXI office worker was beaten with a baseball bat by a disgruntled customer.
Gary Maher has been jailed for 20 months for attacking Lyma Taxis controller Kevin Hepburn, smashing his elbow.
Mr Hepburn needed surgery to insert pins and a metal plate.
Joseph Allman, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court that Maher phoned the Horwich taxi firm on September 26 last year and asked a driver to pick him up from his home in Springburn Close.
The driver knocked on the door but left after getting no reply. Half-an-hour later, Maher, aged 37, rang Mr Hepburn again demanding to know where the taxi was.
Mr Hepburn explained what had happened but Maher became abusive, demanding to know the name of the driver.
The controller hung up, but five minutes later Maher rang back complaining and telling Mr Hepburn: “You don’t know who I am. I will come back and shoot you.”
A short while later, Maher arrived at Lyma’s Winter Hey Lane office in another taxi company’s vehicle and confronted Mr Hepburn.
He then went back to the taxi and returned with a baseball bat. He swung it at 49-year-old Mr Hepburn’s head, hitting him on the arm, before heading off to a supermarket to buy vodka.
Maher was arrested at his home by police who had to use shields to restrain him after he threatened to kill officers.
Peter [edited by admin], defending, said Maher had been drinking heavily after the break up of a long-term relationship.
“In essence, he admits going on an enormous drinking binge,” he said.
He told the court Maher had initially taken the baseball bat for protection and has no recollection of making threats to Mr Hepburn.
Jailing Maher for 20 months, Recorder Michael Leeming said he accepted Maher’s behaviour was out of character.
But he added there was a “need to punish and deter and reassure members of the public that offences involving weapons and violence will deserve a custodial sentence.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/973 ... at_attack/
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