Bride's sister injured by irate taxi driver speeding off after hen partygoer vomits in carMuhammed Rahman, of Mowbray Road in Cambridge, stands to lose his livelihood as a taxi driver after the hen party dispute
The incident took place outside the Travelodge on Newmarket Road in Cambridge
A taxi driver who argued with a group of women on a hen party after one of them was sick in his cab broke down in tears as he was found guilty of speeding off and causing injury to one of the women involved.
Muhammed Rahman, of Mowbray Road in Cambridge, denied driving without due care and attention and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
The 59-year-old was found guilty of all charges after a three hour trial at Cambridge Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Rahman was handed nine points on his licence, and ordered to pay £600 in fines and £620 in court costs.
The incident took place in the early hours of May 29 last year after Rahman had taken some of the women to a Travelodge hotel on Newmarket Road in Cambridge.
Corinne Saunders-Silk, prosecuting, said the victim in the case had been on her sister's hen party in Cambridge with 13 others and had left Kuda nightclub before trying to hail a taxi at about 2am.
Rahman claimed that two taxis in the queue refused to take three of the women back to their hotel because they were 'too drunk'.
He told magistrates that he decided to help out the women as he knew no other taxi drivers would do so.
Rahman claimed he told the women if any of them were sick in his taxi they would have to pay an £80 fine, to which the women agreed.
However when the women reached the hotel, an argument began after Rahman asked them to pay the £80 cleaning fee because one in the group had vomited 'everywhere' in the taxi half way through the journey.
The court was told the women refused to pay the fine, but agreed to pay the £6 fare.
The prosecution alleged that as the victim was leaning in the passengers' side window to pay Rahman, he took the money before driving off at speed.
Giving evidence, the victim said: "I was in charge of 13 other women so was only 5/10 on a scale of being drunk.
“The taxi driver drove off before I had chance to move back, and I spun and hit the side of the car before falling on the floor.”
Rahman then fled the scene without reporting the accident, it was alleged.
An independent witness, Anthony O'Neill, backed up the prosecution's account of events and denied claims by the defence that he was mistaken.
Giving evidence, Rahman claimed the victim had paid him while both were standing outside the vehicle and he had given her change before leaving.
He told magistrates that the victim had been aggressive to him and had chased his vehicle after he drove off, which was when she fell over.
Rahman said as he did not cause the woman's injury, he felt he did not have to stop.
At his trial, he became tearful as he told magistrates: "I've been a self-employed taxi driver for 19 years and deal with 20/30 drunk customers a week.
"In my whole life something like this has never happened.
"I'm a thoroughly gentle man, the whole community respect me.
"One of the woman tried to clean the sick with tissue but I told her it wasn't enough and I needed the £80.
"I called the police but they told me it was a civil matter.
"I realised they were just going to keep arguing so I got the fare and then left."
Fiona McAddy, defending Rahman, claimed the victim in the case had lied and stretched the truth for reasons that may never be known.
After Rahman was found guilty, she told magistrates that he stood to lose his livelihood as a taxi driver.
However, magistrates said the evidence of the victim and an independent witness had been 'consistent and compelling'.
The bench said Rahman had deliberately chosen to drive off when, as a taxi driver, he should have been more careful and considerate.
source:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/ca ... i-12783061
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