Redhill taxi driver assaulted passenger 'after being asked to drive to cashpoint'

A Redhill taxi driver who hit a customer in the face as he withdrew cash to pay for his fare has been found guilty of assault. Mikey Dixon, 28, had been on a night out at The Garland on the day of the FA Cup final last year, when he was assaulted by Abdullah Darvishi.

He had booked the Roadrunners taxi to take him the short drive to his home in the Watercolour development but things turned sour on the way there. Darvishi, 23, of Galpin’s Road in Thornton Heath, was convicted of assault by beating following a trial at Staines Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (January 25).

The ordeal has left Mr Dixon, who works at Reigate Garden Centre, wary of getting in a taxi on his own. “The driver agreed to take me to a cash point but we got to one and it wasn't working, so I asked him to take me to another one two minutes around the corner, but he wasn’t very happy about it,” he said.

Mr Dixon says that the two men argued, and when he got out of the car at the cash point in Nutfield Road, Merstham , Darvishi followed, approached from behind and hit him on the side of his face. "You think you get a taxi and trust people to take you home. For that to happen was just crazy.

“I had a swollen face, a cut lip, cut gum and cuts to my elbows [from falling to the ground]. Obviously I wasn’t expecting it [to be hit] and it wipes you off your feet.” “It just makes you think. Even my girlfriend won’t get a cab on her own now. “Luckily there was a cab driver from Station Cars behind and he witnessed the whole thing. He and his passenger picked me up off the floor, and took me home.”

Darvishi was fined £130 and must also pay compensation of £50, a victim surcharge of £30, and £310 in costs.

A spokesman for Roadrunners said Darvishi no longer worked for them. Darvishi’s taxi licence is issued by Transport for London (TfL).

A TfL spokesman said: “Abdullah Darvishi is a licensed private hire driver. “We will definitely review his suitability to maintain his licence once we have the full details of the incident and conviction.”