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PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:57 pm 
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Pair deny attacking Telford Go Carz driver minutes before crash that killed him

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/cri ... tal-crash/

A taxi driver was kicked and punched in the face during a confrontation minutes before the car he was driving struck a wall and a tree, killing him, a court was told.

Telford Go Carz driver Ishfaq Hussain died at the scene from multiple injuries after being chased by a Peugeot driven by John Cox in Madeley on August 7 last year, Stafford Crown Court heard.

Cox and co-defendant Brandon Dowen are accused of the manslaughter of Mr Hussain, aged 50.

The jury heard “the catalyst” for the incident was when the taxi driver stopped to ask Dowen’s girlfriend for directions shortly after 10pm that night. The jury was told she took it “the wrong way” and swore at Mr Hussain who was captured on CCTV immediately driving away.

When she was picked up a short time later by the defendants she appeared to be “out of sorts” and told them that an Asian driver had tried to chat her up.

Mr Robert Price, prosecuting barrister, said the defendants then decided to find Mr Hussain to “teach him a lesson” in a joint enterprise.

He said Mr Hussain then found his passenger, but during the journey the Peugoet owned by Dowen’s mother pulled alongside. Front passenger Dowen swore at the taxi driver, who pulled over.

Cox then got out and kicked the red Skoda taxi before pulling off the rear wiper, he said.

Mr Price said Mr Hussain drove off, but was pursued at speeds in excess of 60mph along Ironbridge Road by the Peugeot, with Dowen’s girlfriend and a 13-year-old youth in the rear seats.

Mr Hussain pulled over a second time and Dowen got out of the car, opened the taxi door and punched him several times in the face before kicking him, the court was told.

Under cross-examination Cox repeatedly told the jury that he did not know what was talked about between Dowen and the victim in the moments leading up to the crash.

The jury was also shown footage from the dashcam from a Range Rover in the area at the time of the incident which captured the moment when Cox carried out a handbrake U-turn in Ironbridge Road after following the taxi for a distance of about 70 metres.

Mr Price put to Cox: “He tried to drive away once, but you chased him. He pulled over and when he pulled over he was given a beating.

“This was a highly charged situation with the taxi. Tempers were running very high, yours and Brandon Dowen’s. This was not a controlled situation. You had both lost it, hadn’t you?”

To which Cox replied: “No.”

Mr Price put to Cox: “Brandon Dowen led the way with the violence, but you drove him to the point where the violence took place. He needed you to get him close to the taxi driver. He couldn’t do it on foot. You drove so that he could do what he wanted to do.

“You pulled up to the taxi that positioned Brandon Dowen right next to Mr Hussain on two separate occasions and you knew full well that he was going to deliver violence.”

“And you drove dangerously close to the taxi, pursuing him on that road.

“Do you agree that you made Mr Hussain very frightened by what you were doing?”

Cox replied: “As I said, I didn’t see any violence. I didn’t see anyone hit anyone.”

Mr Price asked him: “Was Brandon Dowen encouraging you to catch up with the taxi?

Cox replied: “No.”

Mr Price: “What was he saying?”

Cox: “Just that he needed his details that’s all. We were following it.”

Mr Price: “Was he saying, ‘Come on John, put your foot on it’?”

Cox: “No.”

Cox told the jury that Dowen got out of the car and “spoke to” Mr Hussain and got the information they needed.

Mr Price told him: “I suggest to you that you knew full well that Brandon was going to deliver a beating to Mr Hussain. The details were on the vehicle for all to see. Were you expecting Dowen to hit the taxi driver and threaten him?”

“No,” Cox replied.

Cox said his attention was focussed on the 13-year-old male who had been a rear seat passenger in the Peugeot.

Mr Price said: “You were there in the driver’s seat. Brandon got out and you are telling the jury that you paid no attention to what was going on outside your car?”

Cox said: “ I was looking ahead to see if a car was coming.”

Mr Price also put to Cox: “There was a plan between the two of you. You were going to give him a beating to teach him a lesson. This wasn’t a nice Sunday afternoon drive out in the country.”

Dowen, 19, of Park Street, Madeley, and John Cox, 32, of Harrowby Road, Wolverhampton, deny the allegations. The trial continues.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 6:08 am 
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this is sounding like it is very muddied waters

in the days of universal sat nav a driver needing directions and chooses a young woman walking alone to ask ?

but then complete over reaction from the boyfriend

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 9:03 pm 
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IMO not muddied at all. The case outlines by the CPS seems credible, the comment that the driver didn't notice his mate attacking the cab driver less so.

I don't think I have ever seen, or heard about, a taxi/PH driver chatting up a lady in a street when they have a customer on board.

I have however seen countless times drivers asking a person for directions.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:11 am 
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By the looks of it the jury were out on Friday. For what it's worth this is the judge's summing up, as reported by the Shropshire Star:

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/cri ... r-verdict/

Summing up the case Judge Michael Chambers QC said Mr Hussain suffered multiple injuries as a result of the crash and died at the scene. Taxi passenger Kallum Hislop, survived the collision, which happened at about 10.30pm.

Stafford Crown Court heard that the catalyst for the whole incident was when the taxi driver stopped to ask Dowen’s girlfriend for directions while she waited for the two defendants to pick her up minutes earlier.

Judge Chambers said the girlfriend was upset as she said Mr Hussain made a “sexually suggestive comment”, and due to an alleged “previous bad experience” she swore at him.

He said Mr Hussain continued his journey and found Mr Hislop, his next passenger, who got in the car and witnessed what happened next.

The taxi was near the Tesco store when the Peugeot with Cox at the wheel caught up with the it. Dowen, of Park Street, Madeley, shouted at Mr Hussain while Cox got out and yanked the rear wiper off the taxi. Mr Hussain drove off, but he was followed at speed and pulled over a second time.

The jury heard that despite him apologising repeatedly Dowen, who accepts that he acted unlawfully, punched and kicked him. The bricklayer told the jury that the taxi driver grabbed him during the altercation and he was acting in self-defence.

Judge Chambers also said Mr Hussain was taking medication and living an active family life.

He told the jury: “From the evidence you can’t say with certainty that that he suffered a cardiac event, but you can’t rule it out due to his history. The defence say that he drove off and the road traffic collision as tragic as it was had nothing to do with what happened a few minutes before.”

He added that a post mortem found that Mr Hussain would have still been alive at the time of the crash, but it was not possible to say if he was conscious.

Mr Hislop told the police that after the second confrontation Mr Hussain continued to drive at speed, but did not speak and he could not see his face.

Dowen, of Park Street, Madeley, Telford, and Cox, 32, of Harrowby Road, Wolverhampton, deny manslaughter.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:22 am 
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Sussex wrote:
I don't think I have ever seen, or heard about, a taxi/PH driver chatting up a lady in a street when they have a customer on board.

I have however seen countless times drivers asking a person for directions.


Go Carz seems to be quite big and expanding over Telford/Wolverhampton/Walsall/Shrewsbury sort of area.

Go Carz was one of the Wolverhampton firms defending the council's fast-track licensing system, and always on the lookout for more drivers. Wouldn't be surprised if they are using Wolves-badged drivers in Telford.

Been reading some old pieces about them - very slick and professional on a superficial level, using the latest apps/tech and good at PR etc.

But read the comments below the articles and there's plenty talk about non-local drivers with very poor English, relying largely on sat-navs even for basic trips and a remark about, ahem, Taliban Taxis.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:09 am 
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On the other hand, according to the DfT figures published by the BBC last week, Telford & Wrekin is third highest in the country in terms of percentage increases in the number of drivers since the Deregulation Act, although the numbers are relatively small compared to Wolverhampton.

Image

There was also this from 2016 - neighbouring Shropshire complaining about cross-border drivers, and indeed Telford & Wrekin itself complaining about the problem - perhaps that's the Wolverhampton effect when it was less high-profile:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30294

There's also this about a Wolves-badged Go Carz driver driving the wrong way up a main road in Telford:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29521


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:15 am 
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at one point I could claim 100 percent of my drivers had done and passed the NVQ but not now

I have never heard of a driver failing it not exactly a hard course to pass :wink:

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:20 am 
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edders23 wrote:
at one point I could claim 100 percent of my drivers had done and passed the NVQ but not now

I have never heard of a driver failing it not exactly a hard course to pass :wink:


Says on their website that "nearly every driver we have on our books has now passed" the NVQ.

Sounds like a thing that's done in-house?


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:14 pm 
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StuartW wrote:
Sounds like a thing that's done in-house?

Like Uber's on line eye tests. [-(

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