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Suspect 'smack' is the appropriate word here, in more ways than one


Fare-dodger threatened taxi driver after whistlestop tour of Aberdeen


Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

A fare-dodger threatened to “smack” a taxi driver – and his car – after taking him on a whistlestop tour of Aberdeen.

Dylan Stewart asked the driver to take him to no less than five different locations across the city before eventually disappearing without paying.

The 25-year-old told the driver he’d be back shortly to pay, but when he didn’t reappear the driver phoned him.

Stewart then threatened to assault the driver if he ever called again.

Fiscal depute Kiril Bonavino told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that around 10am on April 3 last year, the taxi driver picked up Stewart and another male on Newton Road in Aberdeen.

Firstly the pair were taken to a shop nearby Middlefield Place and then back to Newton Road where the other male got out.

Offences branded ‘troubling’

Mr Bonavino said: “The accused asked the taxi driver to be conveyed to Oldcroft Place in Aberdeen. On arrival, the accused alighted and asked him to wait.

“The accused returned after 10 minutes and asked to be taken to an address on Millburn Street.”

Once there, Stewart entered a nearby pharmacy before returning and asking to go to Wingate Road.

Mr Bonavino continued: “After being taken there, the accused alighted from the taxi and advised that he would return a short time later to make payment.

‘He’s very suggestible and gets involved with this kind of stupidity’

“However, he failed to return and the taxi driver called the accused’s mobile number.

“The accused answered and threatened to smack the taxi driver, along with his taxi, should the taxi driver call him again.”

Police were then contacted over the threats and Stewart’s unpaid £37.80 fare.

Stewart, of Newton Road, Aberdeen, pled guilty to deliberately not paying the fare and to threatening to assault the driver and damage his car.

Defence agent Alex Burn said his client, who suffers from ADHD and dyslexia, had “little recollection” of the offences.

He added that Stewart also had a difficult upbringing.

The solicitor said described Stewart as “vulnerable”, adding: “He’s very suggestible and gets involved with this kind of stupidity.”

Sheriff William Summers said the offences were “troubling” and ordered Stewart to be supervised for a year and complete 135 hours of unpaid work.

He also made a compensation order for Stewart to pay the taxi driver the £37.80 fare.

If I was stupid enough to allow him in my motor in the first place, the first time he got out would be the last time.

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IDFIMH

looking at the state of the fella it would have been money up front, even if you dont know what the exact fare might be, take a 20.00 deposit, when that runs out take more, if they aint got no more journey finished

Problem of course with a lot of those types is that it's just a normal A to B job to start with, but it then becomes increasingly obvious that it's not

So although with hindsight it might be better to knock the job back or get money up front, on the ground it's not so easy, and even asking some of those types for a deposit could well cause a huge kick off...

Anyway, ironic that this happened in Aberdeen, because it reminds me of a big run I had from Fife after some guy had been chucked off the train. He was on his way home after living in London for years, but more or less told me he was off to score when he got back there

Of course, difference was that I got the money up front, and it was only when we got up to Aberdeen more than an hour later that he asked to go runabout

I kind of felt a bit sorry for him, so agreed, since it was a big job anyway. And when he disappeared into a block of flats and didn't reappear after half an hour, I'd have been offski well before then, but unfortunately he'd left a huge suitcase in the car, which presumably contained his whole life...

So I eventually handed it in to police as lost property. Would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when he went to get it back, though, particularly as I told police that I thought he'd went off to buy some smack, which was why he didn't come back and left the suitcase

(Assuming, of course, he ever collected the suitcase, or maybe police took it back to him anyway )

round here we often had the druggies getting quite demanding that we give them a fixed price on wait and returns but I always refused because once you did that was the car tied up for an hour going here there and everywhere for just £10

people like that probably spend all their money on getting high or drunk and want to not pay for things that aren't getting them high or drunk

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector