Carlisle taxi rank attacker took a cab home, trial jury toldA young man has gone on trial accused of attacking a man at a taxi rank.
Ryan Scott, 21, has pleaded not guilty to a charge alleging that he inflicted grievous bodily harm on Aaron Elliot in Carlisle.
On the first day of Scott’s trial yesterday, the Carlisle Crown Court jury heard from taxi driver Robert Moynan, who picked up Scott after the alleged attack.
In evidence, the cabbie spoke at length about picking up Scott after the incident that left Mr Elliot with a head injury on April 18 last year.
Mr Moynan told the jury: “He wanted to go to Stanwix.
“When he got in, he obviously said where we were going and he said I’ve just knocked him out with one punch. I said that’s not very clever, is it?”
After pulling off the taxi rank, said Mr Moynan, he drove past the man who lay on the ground nearby.
He said Scott told him: “I only hit him because he had a go at me first.”
Prosecutor Peter Gilmour asked the witness about the conversation he and Scott had while travelling in the taxi.
The barrister said: “You said he sounded remorseful when he told you what happened. Did he sound the same way throughout the journey on the way home?”
The cabbie replied: “No. He seemed to change a bit when I was driving.”
Mr Moynan said Scott, from Hallaway, Belah, seemed to be “hyper” after what happened.
The driver went on to describe how he had returned to the taxi rank and saw police and paramedics were at the scene and he recognised a police community support officer.
He told her: “I’ve just taken the lad home who’s done that. She said give me the details.”
The prosecutor went on to outline details of a medical report on the alleged victim’s head injury, which led to him being transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Newcastle after initial treatment at Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary.
The report noted that Mr Elliott had fallen backwards and hit his head, and then lost consciousness.
Doctors diagnosed bruising to his brain but Mr Elliott did not need surgery.
The trial continues.
source:
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.1187843