Taxi Driver Online

Norwich Taxi Driver Attacked Days After Banker Death

3rd October 2008

A taxi driver told last night how he was "seconds from death" when he was beaten up in Norwich by two thugs for the sake of a £6 fare, three days after the death of banking boss Frank McGarahan.

The father-of-two, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals, said one man tried to strangle him with his own jacket while the other looked on, shouting "kill him".

And he said that his attempts to get help were ignored as a host of drivers chose to continue on their way as he attempted to flag them down.

He added that it was the second time he had been attacked while at work in the last two years, and said: "It is hard to say whether I will go back to my job. Norwich is becoming a very frightening place."

The incident happened on Tuesday at about 10pm when the driver was asked to take two men to an address in the Lakenham area. The men had used the firm before on the same evening, and he said there was "no reason to suspect they wanted trouble". When the drop-off point was reached, the men walked away without paying, and said they would come back later. The driver followed them to ask them to pay the £6 fare, but was brutally attacked.

He said: "They jumped on me and tried to kick and headbutt me. One of them said to the other 'kill him'. He pulled my jacket over my head and started strangling me. I felt that I was about to die. I knew I only had seconds left to live. It was absolutely dreadful and very frightening. I couldn't see anything and couldn't breathe.

"I managed to move my clothes off my neck and ran away. I'm not a coward but I prefer to live for the sake of my family. One of them was running after me and the other was still shouting 'kill him'."

He tried to flag down some vehicles, but a few passed by until one driver was forced to stop and persuaded to call the police when the taxi driver stood in the middle of the road.

The taxi driver said: "I can hardly move my hand, I'm covered in bruises, I have a scratch on my left eye and can hardly turn my head. The city is not as safe as it used to be. My family doesn't want me to go back to work at the moment."

He lost £150 in cash and takings, a phone and his taxi was also taken before later being recovered by police.


Source; new.epd24.co.uk

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.