Taxi Driver Online

Jail for cabbie who beat passenger unconscious


A TAXI driver who left a passenger unconscious after a brutal attack has been jailed for four years.

Ronald Bell, 60, was caught on CCTV punching Lee Jackson to the ground before kicking and stamping him unconscious after he thought was making off without paying his fare.

The savage assault left Mr Jackson, a self-employed bathroom fitter, needing more than three months off work with a broken collarbone and facing surgery to fully repair the injury.

He also suffered a black eye, with bruising and abrasions across his body.

At Newcastle Crown Court yesterday Bell, of Trinity Walk, South Shields, was jailed for four years.

Judge Penny Moreland told him: “Your position is aggravated by the fact you are a taxi driver, people trust you to take them home safely.

“The passengers you take home often are in drink and you have a responsibility not to take advantage of that.

“I accept the trigger for this was fear of losing the fare at a time of financial stress.”

The court heard Mr Jackson had been on a night out in South Shields and had asked Bell, a taxi driver of 20 years experience, to stop at a cashpoint near his home in Whitburn so he could take out the £11 fare last May.

CCTV footage from Northguards in the town captured Bell getting out of his people carrier and launching the violence.

Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, said: “After the single blow which caused Mr Jackson to fall, the crown say there is five to six kicks to his upper body followed by seven, possibly eight, stamps.”

Mr Jackson told police he was in the “foetal position” trying to protect himself from the violence but eventually lost consciousness.

He said in a victim impact statement: “What makes it worse is he’s a taxi driver who should be responsible for the welfare of his passengers.

“He left me unconscious in the street.”

Peter Schofield, defending, said Bell has worked in the taxi trade for 20 years without incident and has lost his job and home as a result of what he did.

Mr Schofield said: “it was the defendant’s belief he was in fact losing a fare, once again.

“He, for some unexplained reason, reacted in this way which is out of character.”

Mr Schofield said Bell “simply snapped” while working under pressure and is deeply ashamed and sincerely apologetic.

Bell had admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent at an earlier hearing.

source: http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/crim ... -1-5505150

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Not often I'm speechless.

But a 60 year old, who has been in the trade for 20 years, doing this is unbelievable.

_________________
IDFIMH

Pushed too far maybe ?

Possibly.

_________________
IDFIMH

might sound harsh but it will certainly act as a detterent for other fare dodgers.


don't see why he got 4 years though,

surely mitigating circumstances and i'd imagine being a cabby a non substantial criminal record.

still don't think the full stories been posted here. and I get the feeling a fellow driver is now in the clink to make an example for taking the law into his own hands

The story doesn't say that he was a fare dodger. They stopped at a cash point to get the money out to pay the fare.

_________________
Grandad,

How many years would a passenger get if they beat a 60yr old driver unconscious ?

edit: Just read another post, 2 1/2 years.

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin