Court: Man crashed Jaguar into cab and assaulted police in HeathwayA 23-year-old man who crashed a Jaguar into a taxi and assaulted a police officer was billed £2,000, in an incident that started with a row with a cabbie over a seven pound taxi fare.
Abdul Hassan, of Gascoigne Estate in Barking, pleaded guilty to a string of offences, including £1,000 worth of damage to a cab, assaulting a police officer during an attempted arrest, driving the Jaguar without insurance and previous traffic offences.
Appearing at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Thursday, Hassan was also sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid community work.
Hassan was taking a cab with friends to Dagenham Heathway on December 27 at around 2.30am, but when they arrived his friends ran off without paying the seven pound fare.
He only had five pounds on him and gave that to the driver, who complained this was two pounds short.
Hassan, who works as an intern at an investment bank, then got into a parked Jaguar to leave, but was blocked in by the cabbie.
He reversed, causing scratches to the cab which, though small, mean expensive labour costs for the cabbie, the court heard.
Hassan was stopped by police around the corner, but “laughed and tried to walk away”, the prosecuting solicitor said.
An officer then took his arm, leading to an altercation that saw Hassan assault the officer.
He was not insured to drive the Jaguar, the owner of which is unknown.
Defence solicitor Ms Parker said: “He did behave very foolishly that night. He was only intending to drive a very short distance.
“It’s a very unfortunate incident on a night out.”
A court probation officer said Hassan was under the legal limit for alcohol on the night, and has expressed remorse for his actions.
Hassan was also being sentenced for driving a Vauxhall Astra without insurance and with only a provisional licence on June 22.
Judge Chris Wright said: “We feel that it’s so serious that only a community order will do.”
Along with the 200 hours unpaid work, Hassan was disqualified from driving for a year.
He was ordered to pay £792.97 compensation to the cab driver, £620 court costs, and £700 for driving without insurance.
http://www.barkinganddagenhampost.co.uk ... _1_3690688
Login
Register
FAQ
