Brighouse man is cleared over taxi attack claimsA FATHER-OF-ONE has been cleared by a jury of robbing a Brighouse cabbie in a late-night attack last year.
Richard Powe, 25, of Aysgarth Avenue, Lightcliffe, had denied being the passenger who punched 43-year-old Iftikhar Muhammad in the face and stole his night’s takings and a mobile phone during the incident in April.
After two days of evidence a jury at Bradford Crown Court took just an hour to reach their unanimous not guilty verdict on the robbery allegation.
Powe, who runs a fencing and decking business, was arrested and charged by police after a CCTV image of him was published in the local press.
He contacted the police after his brother told him about the article and during his interview he denied being involved in the robbery.
At the end of the prosecution case, Powe’s barrister Mark McKonesubmitted that his client had no case to answer and highlighted inherent weaknesses in the Crown’s case.
Brighouse man is cleared over taxi attack claims
Mr McKone said there had been no identification procedures undertaken involving Mr Muhammad and his client and any identification through circumstantial evidence was inadequate.
He said Powe accepted getting in a taxi outside the Turkish Delight takeaway in Brighouse and it was agreed that Mr Muhammad had picked up a fare there, but it was submitted that there was a real risk their paths never crossed.
Mr McKone said Mr Muhammad had not even been shown the CCTV image to check if it was the man who got in his taxi.
“There is the real possibility on the timings that the defendant had been long gone by the time the complainant picked up his fare,” submitted Mr McKone.
Mr McKone said there was no scientific evidence of the defendant being in the taxi and no recovery of stolen property or use of the stolen phone.
Judge David Hatton QC concluded that the trial should carry on and yesterday the jury cleared Powe of any involvement in the alleged robbery.
The judge also made a defence costs order in favour of Powe.
Can you help police identify these people? Take a look at these CCTV images released by police - Just click below to view.
Read more: Examiner
http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-we ... z2MCbdDazp
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