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Old news from 2004 but considering there is debate going on in another thread about Basingstoke Cabs I thought this article appropriate.
The LO in Basingstoke said punters only have to wait on average 60 seconds for a cab? I suppose that's hardly surprising if you factor in the whole private hire fleet. This young lady didn't have to wait long for a lift because she walked straight out of Liquid night club right into what must have been for her, "the Taxi from hell".
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August 20, 2004
HEADLINE: Taxi driver guilty of sexual assault.
DATELINE: BASINGSTOKE
A TEENAGER has spoken of her relief at seeing a rogue Basingstoke taxi driver brought to justice, after he subjected her to a sex attack in the dark.
Cristin Embury bravely fought off her attacker, 44-year-old private-hire driver Anthony Middleton, who pushed her to the ground after driving her home from Basingstoke in the early hours.
Middleton followed his victim up a lonely wooded path near her home in Oakley under the pretence of helping her search for her lost pet puppy in the darkness - but then subjected her to the sex assault.
Miss Embury, 19, took to the witness stand at Winchester Crown Court to give evidence during Middleton's trial - an experience she described as "terrifying". But her courage paid off when, on Tuesday, Middleton, of Abbey Road, Popley, was convicted of indecent assault. He must now await sentence - and knows he could be sent to jail.
"I was so relieved at the verdict - it felt like a dark cloud had lifted from over me," said Miss Embury, who can be identified by The Gazette after she agreed to waive her automatic right to anonymity.
Miss Embury, who is from Canada, was 18 at the time of the assault and on a working holiday as a groom at Park Farm, Oakley. She told the court her ordeal began after a night out in Basingstoke with friends, when she left Liquid nightclub in the early hours of February 6, alone, drunk, but "still in control".
She got into Middleton's Ford Mondeo private-hire vehicle, which was waiting outside, and he took her home. She went into her house to fetch cash to pay the fare, but her beagle puppy, Toby, escaped through the open door.
After paying the driver, she set off up a dark track to try to find the dog, but while searching in the darkness, she encountered Middleton, who had followed her with a flashlight. "I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, so I turned around, and that's when he tried to kiss me. I pushed him off and said 'no'," said Miss Embury, who told the jury that Middleton then grabbed her by the shoulders.
She added: "He went to kiss me again and in the process of this I ended up on the ground on my back. He was on top of me holding me down on the ground and carried on trying to kiss me. "I was really scared and didn't know what to do. There were just arms and legs everywhere, but I managed to shake him off and get away." Miss Embury ran back to her house, and reported the attack to the police the following day. Officers traced Middleton (pictured) from CCTV footage.
The court heard that Middleton was working only his fourth night-shift for Alpha Cars, of Joices Yard, Basingstoke, on the night in question, but had previously worked as a driver for nearly five years at another Basingstoke company.
The jury heard that Middleton had not booked the pick-up outside Liquid with the Alpha Cars control room, as he was required to do.
He denied that he had indecently assaulted Miss Embury. His lawyer, Christopher Amis, suggested that her allegation could be false. Mr Amis said his client was "entitled to the benefit of the doubt" in the case. However, the jurors unanimously found Middleton guilty.
After the conviction, prosecutor James Leonard told Judge Michael Brodrick that Middleton had past convictions for ABH, dishonesty and motor vehicle offences. He will be sentenced on September 17 after pre-sentence reports are completed, and was granted conditional bail until this date.
Speaking after the case, Miss Embury told The Gazette the attack had changed her life. "I'm scared of a lot more things and I am a more anxious person since this happened to me," she explained. "I'm frightened of talking to people I don't know and I don't like to be alone with strangers."
However, she said she was glad she reported the attack and had pursued the court case, even though it had been a traumatic experience. "I didn't want to stay in the UK at all after this happened, but I felt that I had to stay for the court case. "You have to deal with things - there's no point in running away," said Miss Embury, who was set to fly back to her home near Niagara Falls, Canada, today.
Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Karen Jones, of Basingstoke CID, said of Middleton: "This man was in a position of responsibility and trust, and he totally abused that position."
Norman Smith, a partner at Alpha Cars, said the company had dismissed Middleton as soon as the police charged him. "We are very sad and shocked by the whole incident, which is not a reflection on Alpha Cars at all," he said. "All our drivers are vetted by the police, and we do everything we can to make sure our drivers are safe."
Colin Thomson, head of environmental health, licensing and parking at Basingstoke council, said Middleton had undergone checks - including a Criminal Record Bureau check and a DVLA licence check - before he was granted his private hire licence.
He said council staff had worked closely with the police on the inquiry, and that Middleton's licence was suspended as soon as charges were brought against him.
Following his conviction, it was permanently revoked.
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