Taxi Driver Online

Slightly odd thread title is because there's nothing official about this yet, so this is just a report in the press rather than anything official from police.


Colchester taxi driver reportedly in a coma after passenger attack

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/197 ... er-attack/

A TAXI driver “was almost beaten to death” by a group of passengers and is now believed to be in a coma with life-threatening injuries.

The driver, who is believed to be from Colchester, is said to have picked up five people in the town centre’s High Street at the weekend.

He then drove them to Ipswich where he was reportedly attacked and left in a critical condition before a passer-by fortunately found him.

The man was subsequently taken to hospital where he is believed to be in a coma.

Shqipdon Berisha says he heard of the assault from his relatives, who are also taxi drivers and are therefore aware of the victim.

“Five guys were picked up from the Colchester High Street taxi rank and they then beat the driver in Ipswich and then ran away,” he added.

“He is now in hospital in critical care and in a coma.”

Solma Ahmed is a housing practitioner who is part of the Labour Women’s Committee and a member of the Momentum National Co-ordinating Group.

In a statement published online she corroborated the situation and also sent the taxi driver her well-wishes.

She said: “A taxi driver almost beaten to death at the weekend in Ipswich.

“He is from Colchester and a passer-by saw him.

“He was only trying to earn some money - [taxi drivers] suffered the most during Covid and they face abuse every day.”

She added: “I hope he recovers. It is heart-breaking.”

The latest incident comes after a taxi driver was previously attacked in Colchester in 2018 by a passenger.

He threw a punch at the driver and stole his keys before returning to continue the assault.

Paul Dundas, leader of Colchester Council, said: “I have not heard anything about this from the police or the licensing department at the moment.

“But from a council point of view we will always work with taxi drivers in order to maximum their safety and the safety of passengers.”

The Gazette has made contact with Suffolk Police's press team who are now looking into the reports.

Makes it sound like police unaware of this until the press contacted them.

I'm sure that's not the case (assuming the report is correct), but like the Swindon taxi theft case there's presumably good reasons that it's not being publicised by police at this stage.

And why not mention Essex Police, where of course the trip started?

But sounds like the kind of case where it would be relatively easy to trace the perps, so maybe it's all going on out of the public view and best kept quiet at this stage.

This is an official Suffolk Constabularly news release, published this afternoon.


Ipswich – Man charged after taxi driver is assaulted

https://www.suffolk.police.uk/news/late ... -assaulted

A 19-year-old man has been charged following an assault on a taxi driver in Ipswich at the weekend.

Police were called by a member of the public at 3.45am on Sunday 7 November, reporting that a man had been assaulted in Tower Mill Road.

Witnesses reported hearing the incident taking place and when they intervened the suspect threw an item at them and made off in the direction of Bramford Road.

Officers arrived at the scene within matter of minutes and after a search of the area, located a suspect at just after 4am in Wallace Road who was then arrested.

The victim – a man aged in his 40s – sustained a serious head injury. He was initially taken to Ipswich Hospital, before being transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital where he currently remains in a stable condition.

The victim was driving a Volkswagen Touran and is understood to have travelled from Colchester before driving to Ipswich. Officers are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the incident taking place.

Jack Powell, of Lattice Avenue in Ipswich, has subsequently been charged with robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent in connection with this incident.

He appeared before Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Monday 8 November, where he was bailed to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday 6 December.

Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading to this incident. Anyone with any information that could assist their enquiries is asked to contact South CID at Landmark House in Ipswich, quoting reference: 62652/21.

Looks like he was arrested shortly after the incident, which is maybe why there was no publicity, but now they're effectively clarifying what's happened.

I suspect the police were well aware of this but didn't want to go public just yet.

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IDFIMH

only 1 of 5 arrested I'm pretty sure more than 1 was involved

here's hoping the driver recovers but I suspect not fully

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Maybe the five had nothing to do with the situation, and the one appeared after they had gone.

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IDFIMH

The Liverpool driver's fundraiser is at £27,000, this guy's has reached £1,700


Colchester taxi driver assault victim remains in a coma after attack

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/197 ... ma-attack/

KIND-HEARTED supporters are hoping to raise £10,000 to help the family of a taxi driver left in a coma after he suffered head injuries in an attack.

The cab driver, named only as Nurul after a request from his family, is undergoing treatment at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

The father-of-three suffered serious injuries in an assault in the early hours of Sunday, November 7.

Friends are hoping to support the victim’s family by covering expenses incurred while he remains out of work.

Supporter Nicole Baerg said the 30-day fundraising campaign will also help with additional medical expenses which could be needed, including therapies and specialist equipment.

She said: “He has gone through surgery and doctors seem positive about the outcome.

“He is still in a coma although he seems to have some responsiveness to stimuli.

“The doctors seem optimistic about the progress of his recovery but of course it can take weeks to months.”

A post on the fundraising page read: “Without hyperbole, he is one of the world’s nicest guys.

“People who know him are in shock and saddened. The taxi community in Colchester are heartbroken and outraged. It’s likely a few of them are a little more afraid to go to work.”

Suffolk Police were called to Tower Mill Road, Ipswich, at about 3.45am. Officers were told a man in his 40s, a black cab driver from Colchester, had been attacked.

The victim sustained a serious head injury during after driving his car from Colchester to Ipswich.

He is believed to have made the trip after picking up passengers from the town centre’s taxi rank, in the High Street.

Supporters say Nurul is known as “the guy who helps everyone out and drops everything to give you a hand”.

Jack Powell, 19, of Ipswich has been charged with robbery and causing grievous bodily harm.

To donate, visit http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ ... tersupport

Not a fan of these things when expressed in that fashion.

Both drivers are deserving cases, but one is a national press story whilst the other is a local story.

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IDFIMH

Injured Colchester taxi driver comes out of coma

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/197 ... omes-coma/

A TAXI driver who suffered serious head injuries in an attack has awoken from a coma in hospital and faces a long road to recovery.

The cab driver, named only as Nurul at his family’s request, remains in hospital after suffering serious injuries in an assault in the early hours of Sunday, November 7.

The father-of-three is believed to have driven a customer from Colchester to Ipswich before the attack.

Friends and supporters have rallied around the driver’s family and are looking to raise £10,000 to cover expenses incurred while he remains out of work.

A post on the fundraising page said: “We can now confirm that Nurul has regained consciousness and is showing positive signs of recovery.

“He is still in hospital but is communicating with doctors and family members.

“We thank everyone who made a donation to support Nurul and his family in their time of need, but Nurul’s road to full recovery is long.

“We therefore continue to raise funds here to help support the family until Nurul is able to return to work.”

The page has topped £2,300 in just a few weeks.

Suffolk Police were called to Tower Mill Road, Ipswich, at about 3.45am.

Officers were told a man in his 40s, a black cab driver from Colchester, had been attacked.

The victim sustained a serious head injury after driving his car from Colchester to Ipswich.

He is believed to have made the trip after picking up passengers from the town centre’s taxi rank, in the High Street.

Supporters say Nurul is known as “the guy who helps everyone out and drops everything to give you a hand”.

They said: “Without hyperbole, he is one of the world’s nicest guys.

“People who know him are in shock and saddened. The taxi community in Colchester are heartbroken and outraged. It’s likely a few of them are a little more afraid to go to work.”

Jack Powell, 19, of Lattice Avenue, Ipswich, has been charged with robbery and causing grievous bodily harm.

He is due to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nurul colchestersupport.

Pity the newspaper cocked up the URL for the fundraiser. There shouldn't be a gap in the URL.

This is the correct link:

https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nur ... tersupport

Wish the fella a full recovery, and a quick one too.

Pleased the police have charged someone with the assault.

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IDFIMH

Teen who left Colchester taxi driver in coma admits attack

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/197680 ... ts-attack/

A man has admitted attacking a Colchester taxi driver in an incident which left him in a coma.

Jack Powell, of Lattice Avenue in Ipswich, admitted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the incident on November 7.

Police had been called by a member of the public at 3.45am reporting that a man had been attacked in Tower Mill Road.

Witnesses reported hearing the incident taking place and when they intervened the suspect threw an item at them and made off in the direction of Bramford Road.

Officers arrived at the scene within matter of minutes and after a search of the area, located and arrested Powell, 19, at just after 4am in Wallace Road.

It is understood the victim had driven Powell in his taxi from Colchester to Ipswich.

The victim – a man aged in his 40s – sustained serious head and facial injuries.

The cab driver, named only as Nurul at his family’s request, spent almost a month at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, from where he was discharged at the weekend.

He is now continuing his recovery at home.

Friends and supporters have rallied around the driver’s family and are looking to raise £10,000 to cover expenses incurred while he remains out of work.

The page has topped £3,800 in just a few weeks.

Powell has been bailed pending a sentencing hearing to be held at Ipswich Crown Court on January 27.

Colchester taxi driver returns home to recover after coma fight

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/197 ... oma-fight/

A COLCHESTER taxi driver who was left fighting for his life in a coma after being viciously attacked has returned home to continue his recovery.

Victim Nurul was badly beaten on November 7 in Tower Mill Road Ipswich by Jack Powell, of Lattice Avenue, Ipswich.

After sustaining serious head and facial injuries the beloved family man, who has three children including a baby, spent a month at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Last weekend, however, Nurul was discharged from hospital and is now embarking on the long road to recovery from the comfort of his own home.

Since the attack, generous members of the Colchester and Essex communities have rallied round with a view of raising £10,000 to help Nurul, his wife, and his family.

Without his usual work income and the likelihood of further medical expenses residents fear the family may struggle financially.

In just a matter of weeks the campaign has already generated just shy of £4,000, much to the delight of Dr Nicole Baerg, who is supporting the fundraiser.

She said: “I am excited we are almost half way to our goal and I am really pleased people have donated.

“I encourage people to keep giving if they can and as much as they can because Nurul’s road to full recovery is long.

“The family has already received some of the money and they are really appreciative of the community spirit.”

Nurul, described as “one of the world’s nicest guys”, is understood to have been assaulted after picking up Powell, 19, in Colchester before heading to his home.

When witnesses intervened the attacker fled the scene but was located and arrested by the police just after 4am in Wallace Road.

He has since admitted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent and has been bailed until a sentencing hearing at Ipswich Crown Court on January 27.

Dr Baerg added: “I have a much greater appreciation for the kinds of occupational risks taxi drivers face now.

“It is a dangerous job yet something we all depend on. I feel like there should be better protection for them.”

To donate visit https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nur ... tersupport

Can only agree with that

Not clear what Dr Baerg's specific interest in this is, but for what it's worth she's a senior lecturer in the Department of Government, University of Essex

https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/baerg32804/nicole-baerg