Caught on his own CCTV beating up taxi driver - is this Lancashire’s most stupid racist?
- Thug refused to pay £8 fare, then attacked and racially abused Asian taxi driver
- Assault was filmed on attacker’s own CCTV
- Court fined him £860 then ordered him to pay £200 compensation, plus the £8 fare
A RACIST thug was caught on camera beating up a taxi driver - by his own CCTV.
Mark Wilson, 43, attacked the Asian taxi driver outside his house in Drakes Hollow, Walton-le-Dale, near Preston, after refusing to pay the £8 fare.
“ The offender fronted him up, chased him down the drive and punched him in the face while using racist language The driver knocked on Wilson’s door to get the cash owed for the journey and was assaulted and racially abused.
Detectives then discovered CCTV from Wilson’s own house which caught him in the act. He was hauled before the courts after being charged with racially aggravated assault, he pleaded guilty and was given a £860 fine and ordered to pay £208 compensation.
The taxi driver had dropped Mark Wilson off at his address in Drakes Hollow, Walton-le-Dale, near Preston on January 18.
“The fare was only £8,” Detective Paul Kellett of Preston CID explained, “the taxi driver asked for this and the passenger became verbally abusive, using racist language. The offender went into his house.
“The driver then calmly went to the house – he is very meek and mild – and asked for the money.
“The offender fronted him up, chased him down the drive and punched him in the face while using racist language.”
Det Kellett said it was looking like a case of one word against another until the CCTV from Wilson’s house was seized.
He said: “We got the CCTV and it showed exactly what the taxi driver had told us word for word.”
Wilson pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault and making off without payment at Preston Magistrates’ Court on February 23.
He was fined £860 and ordered to £208 compensation – which included the £8 fare.
Det Kellett said of the taxi driver: “He is such a gentleman, he was apologising to us for taking our time, he couldn’t believe we took this seriously.
“Of course we take these things seriously.”
He said the scenario was “stupid” and “unprovoked” and said the punishment was a “great result.” Det Kellett concluded: “Hate crime is not acceptable.”
The assault on the taxi driver comes as figures show that there were 250 more hate crimes reported in Lancashire in 2013/14 compared to the year before.
Hate crimes are defined as being motivated by racism, homophobia, religious bigotry or other prejudice.
In 2013/14 there were 1,027 reports of hate crime across the county compared with 777 reports in 2012/13.
The figures were revealed through the website They Work For You.
Hate crimes and incidents come in many different forms. It can be because of hatred on the grounds of your race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability.
Today community leaders said the increase in the figures could be down to more people reporting hate crime.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “Lancashire Constabulary prides itself on striving to make its communities safer and feel safer, this is no more so than in those communities who are particularly vulnerable to Hate Crime and are victimised because of animosity towards them motivated by their religion, faith, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.
“We are committed to tackling all crime motivated by hate and prejudice and we would urge anyone who has been a victim of a hate crime to have the confidence to come forward and report it to police. Victims will always be dealt with professionally and sympathetically.”
Hate crimes can be reported to police on the non emergency number 101 and through the Constabulary website
www.lancashire.police.uk. Hate crimes can also be reported through True Vision, a national online reporting facility at
www.report-it.org.uksource:
http://www.lep.co.uk/news/local/caught- ... -1-7145219
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