Longton taxi driver cleared of stabbing customer in fare dispute in Stone CABBIE Abdul Qaseem walked free from court after he was cleared of knifing a passenger in a row over a fare.
Jurors at Stafford Crown Court unanimously found him not guilty of wounding Callan Wilde, and possessing a knife.
Mr Wilde ended up at hospital with two and a half inch wounds to his stomach and leg as a row over the fare escalated in to violence.
But the taxi driver told the court Mr Wilde would not pay up at the end of a journey from Hanley to Stone, demanded back the mobile phone he had handed over as security for the money and then attacked him.
Qaseem, aged 38, of Leveson Street, Longton, was cleared following a four-day trial of charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, an alternative charge of unlawful wounding and possessing a knife in a public place.
Qaseem, who was working for Lucky 7 taxis, said Mr Wilde threatened to kill him - and pulled out a Stanley-type knife.
"I was scared, I was frightened and wanted to save my life - may be he kill me," said Qaseem, who made a grab for the knife. The weapon fell to the floor during the struggle, Qaseem picked it up to defend himself and tried to get out of the cab, but they both ended up on the floor outside.
The prosecution alleged that Qaseem stabbed Mr Wilde in the stomach and slashed his leg.
Mr Wilde claimed he gave Qaseem the agreed fare of £20, some of it in coins, before they set off from Hanley in the early hours of 13 January last year. When they got to Trentham, Qaseem demanded another
£20 and Mr Wilde handed over his £500 iPhone as security for the extra money.
Qaseem told the jury Mr Wilde said he wanted to go to Trentham and he was told the fare would be £15. The customer said he didn't have any money on him and handed over his iPhone until he got home to get the cash. When they reached Trentham, the passenger said it was further on, he would give directions, and was told it would be an extra £5.
Qaseem said he drove on and stopped where he was asked. "That gentleman said to me 'I want my phone back'. Then I said you need to pay me £20, you promised me earlier."
He didn't get the money and he didn't give back the phone. At that point the passenger got aggressive. "He said 'if you don't give me my mobile, I'll kill you'. He took a knife from his pocket; looked like a Stanley knife. I was frightened."
The cabbie called 999 at that point and a recording of the call was played in court.
"He attacked me, he tried to stab me," said Qaseem. "When I saw the knife coming, I pushed it.
"I got a cut [on the knuckle]."
The knife fell on the floor and Qaseem picked it up and tried to get out of the cab.
Mr Stephen Bailey, defending, asked his client if he knew exactly how Mr Wilde's injuries were caused: "I'm not sure, but the struggle when I open the door and he try to hitting and punching my head and he jump over me.
"When I fell out [of the car] I don't remember what happened with the knife, may be on the floor, may be in the car, I don't know."
Mr Bailey asked Qaseem if he had deliberately wounded Mr Wilde intending to cause him serious harm and the cabbie replied "No".
The cabbie also refuted a suggestion from Mr Beardwell that he was "taking advantage of a drunken man."
"You thought you would try to attack him and get some property off him," asserted Mr Beardwell. "No," replied Qaseem.
Read more:
http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Taxi-dri ... z3bhYJACDJ
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