Burnley taxi driver 'traumatised' after attack
Burnley Bugle!
A TAXI driver has been left ‘traumatised’ after he was repeatedly punched by a passenger who refused to pay a £5 fare.
Twenty-nine-year-old Shamsher Ali, said there were ‘no signals’ that the man, who was accompanied by a woman, would later become violent when he arrived at the AB Taxis office, in St James Street, Burnley, at around 1.45am on Saturday (October 11).
But the attack has left him ‘feeling sick’ and with head and shoulder injuries.
And he is urging the police to track down the offenders, so they can be brought to justice.
Mr Ali said the couple asked him to take them to Park Avenue via the Kitchens Stores garage where they intended to purchase cigarettes.
He added: “They sat behind me and the way he was speaking was perfectly ok - they seemed like such nice people and couples are usually sensible, so there were no signals they were going to cause trouble.
“At the garage they asked me how much it would cost and I said £5. Then as we got near the destination, they kept telling me turn right and turn left into the back streets. Usually we don’t go down them, but they seemed like such nice people, so I couldn’t refuse.
“The girl got out first and then the man, so I thought he was coming to my window to pay, but then out of the blue, he started punching me on my ear and shoulder. I pushed the button to shut the window, but because I was panicking, I turned the car off and he carried on punching the window.
The married father-of-three, who has been driving a taxi on a sporadic basis for around five years, said he managed to turn the car back on, drive off and call the police.
He added: “I have been feeling sick ever since it happened - I can’t tell my family about it because I don’t want to worry them.
“I wasn’t expecting it to happen and wasn’t ready for it and now I just want the police to catch them, so I can press charges.”
Police in Burnley said the attack occurred in Hood House Street at around 2am on Saturday morning.
Anyone with information is urge to contact them on 01282 425001 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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