Taxi Driver Online

Suffolk Free Press

August 3, 2006

HEADLINE: Even now I can feel the knife press my cheek

A taxi driver has spoken of his horror at being robbed at knifepoint.

The former soldier, who wants to remain anonymous, picked up his last two fares in Sudbury. The two men threatened and robbed him when they reached Haverhill. The driver, who lives and works in the Sudbury area, said: "I still get a kind of flashback whenever I talk about it.

"Even now, as I speak, I am sweating and I can feel the pressure on my cheek." It was 2am when he was flagged down in Acton Lane. "They asked to be taken to Haverhill so I asked for payment up front," he said. "Most drivers do that if they're taking someone there."

They handed over the £25 and nothing else was said until we reached Haverhill. "One of them asked me to pull over as he needed to go to the toilet. I stopped at the bottom of Falconer Road. "One of them put an arm around my neck and forced my head back against the headrest.

"Then I felt a blade pressed hard against my cheek. "I was frozen with my arms on the steering wheel. Lucky, really, as it gave me something to hold on to and stopped me lashing out - which probably would have got me stabbed."

The knife was pressed into his cheek so hard it left a bruise. One of the men took the £25, plus the night's takings, from the driver's pocket. He said: "That'll do" before the men ran off across a football pitch.

The driver said it was worse even than a tour of duty with the Army in Northern Ireland. "I have faced rioting crowds, but felt safe with my comrades around me. In the taxi I was completely alone, with no-one to back me up.

"At first I was fine but when I got home and poured a cup of tea I started shaking and it all came back to me - how vulnerable I was out there." Because he needs the income the driver is already back at work. "It has been okay so far but I am worried about the weekend," he said. "I will be out there alone again, but now I just want to put this behind me."

One of the partners of the cab firm said attacks were rare but very upsetting for all taxi drivers. "We can only support our drivers when things like this happen. We take security seriously but are limits in what we can do to defend ourselves," he said.

Inspector Tristan Pepper, Sudbury's senior policeman, said: "We work with taxi firms on security all the time. In-car CCTV could be an option for them, but it would be at their expense and as events like this are rare in the town they would have to weigh up the benefits against the costs."

Can you help?

Both men were white and of medium build. They both wore three-quarter length trousers. One wore a baseball cap and the other had unkempt dark hair.

Anybody with information should call Pc James McNee at Haverhill police, on 01284 774100, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111
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