Court: Abuse prompts Grantham cabbie to consider career change A Grantham taxi driver fears he will have to give up his job because of the racial abuse he suffers whilst at work.
The comments were read out in court via a victim statement following a guilty plea to racially aggravated harassment by Jonathan Musson of Elliot Close in Grantham.
In the statement made following the incident the victim said: “I felt racially abused. I felt it was all because of the colour of my skin.
“It is not the first time this has happened to me - a similar case is going through the courts involving different people.
“It is seriously making me think about my future as a taxi driver. I work hard to provide for my family but I feel I don’t want to go through a situation like this again.”
The court heard how the taxi driver was called to pick up a group from the Farrier pub.
Jim Clare, prosecuting, said the victim told Musson he could not bring alcohol into the taxi after he pub with a pint glass still containing a drink.
When the driver dropped the group off in Harlaxton Road one of the women took out her purse to pay the fare but Musson stopped her, saying he didn’t want to pay the fare.
Mr Clare told the court that when asked by the taxi driver why he would not pay, Musson called the driver “a b*****d, a w****r and a f*****g black pervert”.
When the driver informed Musson he had contacted the police Musson told the driver he would “f*****g smash your face”.
A police officer arrived and attempted to calm Musson but he shouted abuse at the officer and the driver, calling them both “c***s”.
Musson stepped towards the officer with a bottle of beer in his hand which splashed onto the officer. When Musson again moved towards the officer he was warned. Then the officer, “believing he was about to be assaulted, sprayed the defendant in the face”, said Mr Clare.
Chris Pye-Smith, defending, said Musson had become angry with the victim after one of the women in his group said she was touched on the thigh by the taxi driver. Although Mr Pye-Smith conceded: “Nobody is saying it was done deliberately, necessarily.”
Musson, 41, admitted racially aggravated harassment and resisting a constable. He was fined £60 for resisting the constable and £134 for racially aggravated harassment.
He was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation to the taxi driver along with £85 in costs and a £20 surcharge.
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