Leicester taxi driver strangled by passenger as robbers steal cashA taxi driver has described how a passenger strangled him with a scarf before two others robbed him.
The driver, a married father-of-one, said the run-in with the three thugs had left him frightened of strangers.
The 32-year-old picked up the three passengers – two men and a woman – in Millwood Close, Mowmacre, Leicester, at 1am last Wednesday.
He drove them to Market Harborough and they told him to pull over at the entrance to Symington recreation ground in St Mary’s Road.
One of the passengers then threw the scarf around his neck and pulled it tight.
As he was being attacked, the others took his evening’s takings before all three ran away.
The driver, who has asked not to be named, said: “One of the people sitting behind me threw something around my neck – I’m sure it was a scarf – and pulled it tightly so I couldn’t move. The others then took my money and ran away.”
The man has only been working as a taxi driver for two months.
“I thought it was a really good job, but this has made me scared,” he said. “I’m worried now about who I’m picking up, especially if it’s young people.
“When these passengers got into the car I couldn’t smell any alcohol, but there was something about them.
“They seemed okay at first, but I think now that they were probably on drugs.
“It was strange because they made me take their directions to Market Harborough, not mine. It would usually take 20 or 30 minutes to get there, but it probably took about 40.
“I was getting worried because I was pretty sure I heard them say to each other that they had robbed other drivers.
“When they attacked me it seemed that they knew exactly what they were doing. They were robbing me, but it all seemed very normal to them, as if they had done it before.
“It is very important they are caught because they will do this again.”
Detective Constable Jessica Rippington said: “This was a frightening incident for the victim. I would ask anyone who was in either the Millwood Close or Symington Road areas and thinks they may have seen this group to get in touch. I would also appeal to anyone who believes they recognise the descriptions of the suspects to contact me as soon as possible.”
The first suspect is black/ mixed race, about 20 years old and about 5ft 9in.
He has short dark hair and a blemish on his right cheek, near to a sideburn. He was wearing dark clothing and had a Manchester accent.
The second suspect is white, aged about 23 and about 5ft 9in. He has black hair. At the time he had stubble and was wearing a light-coloured hooded jacket. He spoke with a local accent.
The third suspect is a white woman, who is about 19 and 5ft 6in. She is described as stocky and was wearing a light-coloured top.
If anyone can help, contact Det Con Rippington on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
source:
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/L ... story.html
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