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Bedworth man fined £1k for beating up taxi driver on way back from Christmas party
A taxi ride home from a Christmas party has cost a Bedworth man £1,000 after he beat up the driver and damaged his car in a row over the fare. Gurminder Chana pleaded guilty at the crown court in Leamington to assaulting a taxi driver, damaging his car and stealing his keys.
Chana, aged 30, of Royal Oak Lane, Bedworth, was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years and was ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work. The self-employed electrician was also ordered to pay the cabbie £900 compensation at £50 a week and to pay a £100 surcharge.
Prosecutor Martin Butterworth said that on December 23 last year Chana and another man got a taxi home after a night out at a Christmas party at a restaurant. But when they arrived and the taxi driver asked for the £15.40 fare, both men became angry and started to argue with him about it.
The other man, who was in the back, became aggressive, and Chana then got out of the car, went round to the driver’s side and opened the door. He removed the keys from the ignition and then mounted an attack on the driver, punching him to the head and face and kicking out at him as the other passenger also got out and kicked off the wing mirror on the other side of the car.
The defenceless driver, who was unable to get away from Chana’s attack, fell across the seats, and Chana then smashed the driver’s side mirror. Both men walking away, with Chana still holding the keys, including his house key as well as the car key, which he then threw away. The driver called his controller who contacted the police, and Chana was arrested after a search of the area.
When he was questioned he denied punching or kicking the driver and claimed to know nothing about the keys, which cost the driver £216 to replace. As a result of the attack the driver suffered bruising and swelling, and no longer works at night which has led to a loss of income.
And Mr Butterworth said the offence was aggravated by the fact that it took place late at night and the victim was ‘‘one of those people who are entitled to protection from this sort of attack’’. Ian Speed, defending, said Chana had no previous convictions for violence. He had originally been charged with robbery but his pleas to less serious offences had been accepted.
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