Taxi driver suffers horrific injuries after attack by drunk thugA taxi driver from Cambridge suffered fractures to his nose, cheekbone and eye socket after he was dragged from his cab and viciously attacked by a drunk customer, a court heard.

Martin Harding, after he suffered horrific injuries at the hands of Alexander Nixon
Martin Harding, 47, was left spitting blood in a collapsed heap on the floor following a minor dispute over payment – as his attacker walked down Campkin Road, King’s Hedges, without a backward glance.
Alexander Nixon, a 25-year-old construction worker and an assistant football coach for Fulbourn Falcons, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after admitting grievous bodily harm at an earlier hearing.
Speaking at Cambridge Crown Court, Mr Harding, of Panther Taxis, said: “I am glad it’s all over now – it’s been a long time coming. I hope Mr Nixon will learn from this.”
The attack took place on March 13 last year after Nixon, of Norfolk Street, had been on a night out with friends in the city centre.

Alexander Nixon
Mr Harding dropped the men off in Campkin Road but Nixon requested to be taken on to the Man on the Moon pub in Norfolk Street. When Mr Harding asked for £20 upfront, Nixon lost his temper and began punching his victim in the head before getting out of the passenger seat and dragging him out of the cab.
He then shouted and swore at Mr Harding and kicked him in the head.
Blood was spattered up the taxi door and Nixon had blood stains on his shirt.
Recorder Andrew Hurst, sentencing, said: “The consequences of this assault were so severe that your victim had no recollection of the night and had to rely on others to tell him what happened.
“His wife described what she saw when she went to Addenbrooke’s as absolutely shocking.
“The incident has had a profound affect on the victim’s work, family and social life.
“Many people have suffered because of your quick temper. You have let yourself down as you well know.”
The court heard that a witness, woken by the sound of shouting, saw Mr Harding collapse after staggering to get up.
One police officer said he was unable to determine Mr Harding’s ethnicity due to the extent of the injuries.
The defendant initially admitted to a scuffle outside the cab, he later accepted he had punched the victim a couple of times.
Nixon has two previous convictions for aggravated bodily harm and grievous bodily harm, dating back to 2004 and 2006.
Mike McGhee, mitigating, said: “The defendant deeply regrets his actions.
“He left school aged 16 with two GCSEs and had tried to build a decent law abiding life from nothing.”
The victim’s wife, Helen Harding, said: “I hope no other family has to go through the experience we have had to go through.”
Andy [edited by admin], a manager for Panther Taxis, said there have been about five attacks on their drivers over the last few years.
The 55-year-old said: “Taxi drivers are out there alone at night and it can be daunting. They have always been concerned about this but they are becoming more so in recent years.
“We have had a few leave because they feel vulnerable.”
source:
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