Taxi Driver Online

Zero tolerance for attacks on taxi drivers after Christopher Meyrick not jailed after hitting cabbie


BURTON'S top cop has warned that there is a 'zero tolerance' approach to attacks on taxi drivers after one was racially abused, threatened with a knife and assaulted by a customer who refused to pay his £6 fare.

Chief Inspector Steve Maskrey, commander of the East Staffordshire local policing team, spoke out after Christopher Meyrick, of Sycamore Road, Burton, escaped jail after punching cabbie Iftikhar Ahmed in the face.

The 42-year-old admitting racially aggravated common assault, possessing a knife, criminal damage and making off without payment following a hearing at Stafford Crown Court.

He was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 133 hours unpaid community work.

Chief Insp Maskrey said: "There is simply no excuse for any verbal or physical attacks on taxi drivers.

"We operate a zero tolerance approach to any incidents like this and will respond as quickly as we can when we are called.

"We work closely with council chiefs and the taxi and private hire association in the area to ensure taxi drivers know what to do to keep safe and how to react if they are attacked."

Meyrick had been picked up in the taxi on January 2 last year in New Street, Burton.

He then went into a house in Sycamore Road to pay for the journey. When he didn't return, Mr Ahmed knocked on the door. Meyrick opened it and shouted a racial obscenity at him.

Meyrick then followed with a dog, pulled open the taxi door and punched the cabbie in the face.

He then fetched a knife and caused £783 worth of damage to the cab.

Judge Simon Tonking ordered him to pay Mr Ahmed a total of £1,539 compensation and £100 surcharge.

He said: "There is no doubt you had been drinking alcohol and you got into a taxi to go home.

"When you got there, your behaviour was quite simply out of any control at all."

Steve Hennessy, defending, said the amount of drink was disputed by his client's family. He said: "When he left the house he was sober. He was only out of the house for two hours.

"He went out with £20 and came back with £13. His behaviour was strange to say the least."


Read more: http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/Zero-tolera ... z3VTXIzO2P
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Ah so he had the means to pay he just thought it would be fun not to

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!