Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver's punch left me in need of stitches, says Shirehampton woman




A YOUNG woman claims she was punched in the face by a taxi driver who dumped her and a friend in the middle of nowhere after a night out in Bristol.

Jess Rowles and Amy Edmead, both 24, had enjoyed a few drinks on Clifton Triangle on Saturday, July 27 and flagged down a cab outside the Berkeley pub at around 2.30am.

They asked to be taken to Shirehampton where they both lived, but a bizarre set of circumstances then unfolded which left Jess requiring stitches for wounds to her face.

Avon and Somerset police said a thorough investigation had been carried out but they had failed to track down the driver.

Jess said: "We had £14 but he wanted £20 so we asked him to take us to a cash point but he refused, locked us in the cab and said he was going to take us back to where he collected us. But in fact he dumped us in Julian Road in Sneyd Park, which was dark, but to be honest we were just glad to be able to get out of the cab.

"Then as we walked away he got something out of the boot of his car and sprayed us with water. I went back to ask him why on earth he had done that and it felt like he punched me in the face.

"There was certainly a lot of force because it knocked me to the ground and I hit my face on the kerb."

Amy called the emergency services and 45 minutes later a police car arrived and took them to Southmead Hospital, where Jess had several stitches in her lip and chin.

Her parents Steve and Elaine were called at 5am and were deeply distressed by the injuries to their daughter's face.

Jess believes the cab was a Bristol City Council one and said the man who assaulted her was Asian and in his 20s.

The police were informed but have closed the case because of lack of evidence, infuriating Jess who thinks they have done the "bare minimum" and her mother has made a formal complaint to Avon and Somerset Police.

Jess, who works as a document co-ordinator for an insurance company, said: "The police have told me there are no more lines of enquiry they can follow.

"It feels like they have done the bare minimum. I just don't think they have taken it seriously enough. He could be nastier to the next person he comes across."

Jess has received support from City Councillor for Avonmouth Wayne Harvey and Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie.

Mr Harvey said: "Seeing the photos of this horrific, violent and cowardly attack on Jess has left me feeling sickened.

"This is the second attack that has been brought to my attention regarding taxi drivers becoming violent and assaulting their passengers. With all the CCTV we have in Bristol, this should be being picked up."

Ms Leslie added: "Taxis should be seen as a place of safety for people, not a place where you risk being assaulted.

"It seems this is not an isolated incident and I think there may be some questions about how drivers are licensed and what checks take place. Equally, we have extensive CCTV across the city and it should be possible to trace a vehicle which made this journey.

"It seems sad but perhaps we need to encourage people to note down taxi licence numbers when they get in to a taxi."

Wayne Baker, an Avon and Somerset police spokesman, said: "A thorough and detailed investigation was carried out based on the limited information and evidence available.

"Neither the victim or an independent witness were able to provide a detailed description of the taxi driver.

"CCTV was checked but there was no film showing the incident or a good shot of the actual taxi.

"House-to-house investigations were also carried out and private CCTV checked but no relevant footage found.

"Because Ms Rowles has a right to make a complaint if she feels we have not carried out a thorough investigation, this has been reported to the force's professional standards department to review."


Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Taxi-drive ... z3AA6mKP1n

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

wonder if it was one of those blue ones?

that colour policy was a good idea

no description of the driver and no description of the vehicle - and the story states she doesn't know if she was punched and she hit the floor with her face.

Dare I suggest the ladies were extremely drunk - they more than likely verbally abused the driver - they could barely stand up - one fell over

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Very strange. Drivers don't just hit people without good reason, nor do they refuse to take people to cashpoints if they don't have enough money. He wanted £20, they had £14, would you not go to a cashpoint to get the rest - certainly wouldnt fight over £6.

that's what makes me wonder - did the driver actually hit the girl or did she just fall over?

Her injuries don't look like a punch - I think the police possibly think the same hence their closing of the case?

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

If someone did that to someone I knew, or even me, I would spend the next few days/weeks/months/years even waiting at the busiest ranks to see the fella who did it.

But maybe she was too pi**ed to remember the face, or the vehicle, or actually what truthfully happened.

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IDFIMH

I am thinking that this was one very abused driver ( only my own (having been there) thoughts). The driver in my thoughts, having been verbally abused, has got out of his cab, gone to the back of his cab/car and got a bottle of water.....and then squirted/chucked the contents over them and told them to wash their mouths out.........one very maybe two p!zzed up women.....who can remember f/all. Two people in a (I must sober up quickly moment) and neither can remember anything of significance!....I do not think so - and neither do the police.

_________________
Common sense........is just not that Common.

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
― Adolf Hitler


the following article - and subsequent others reported in the national press - has made this story spiral from an alleged assault to "a rogue taxi driver who punched her before abandoning her in the middle of nowhere."

Read more: http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Rogu ... z3AGEzd0r1

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

headlines so far;

Daily Mail:

Horrific injuries suffered by woman on night out after she was punched in the face by rogue taxi driver

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z3AHiOg2YK

Daily Mirror:

Woman's horrific injuries after being PUNCHED by taxi driver following row over fare

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/wo ... z3AHibUuSh

Bristol Post:

Taxi driver's punch left me in need of stitches, says Shirehampton woman

Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Taxi-drive ... z3AHinR3mr

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

As an MP shouldn't she wait for some solid proof of an assault by a Taxi driver before spouting off, Besides at 2.30am after a night out half of the punters can hardly talk let alone write...Seems a bit iffy to me, that's a hell of a graze for a punch

Man hands himself into police after Shirehampton woman's taxi driver punch claim



AMAN has voluntarily handed himself into police investigating the case of a woman allegedly being punched by a taxi driver.

Avon and Somerset police had filed the investigation into the alleged assault on 24-year-old Jess Rowles, who was left with severe facial injuries, due to lack of evidence.

Jess said she was punched in the face after a taxi driver dumped her and friend Amy Edmead, 24, in Sneyd Park during the early hours of Sunday, July 28 because they didn't have the right fare.

She said he had struck her after she approached him because he had thrown water at them.

Despite a significant investigation, the decision to file the case angered Jess and her family and a complaint was made which has been passed to the force's professional standards department to review.

But yesterday Avon and Somerset police confirmed a 38-year-old man had voluntarily attended a police station on August 15 and been interviewed in relation to the case.

They could not confirm if the man was a taxi driver, and said he had not been arrested but that the investigation had been re-activated and was ongoing.

The Post reported Jess's case on August 12. She and Amy had enjoyed a few drinks on Clifton Triangle on Saturday, July 27 and flagged down a cab outside the Berkeley pub at around 2.30am the following morning. They asked to be taken to Shirehampton where both lived, but a bizarre set of circumstances then unfolded which left Jess requiring stitches for wounds to her face.

Jess said: "We had £14 but he wanted £20 so we asked him to take us to a cash point but he refused, locked us in the cab and said he was going to take us back to where he collected us. But in fact he dumped us in Julian Road in Sneyd Park, which was dark, but to be honest we were just glad to be able to get out of the cab.

"Then as we walked away he got something out of the boot of his car and sprayed us with water. I went back to ask him why on earth he had done that and it felt like he punched me in the face.

"There was certainly a lot of force because it knocked me to the ground and I hit my face on the kerb."

Jess was taken to Southmead Hospital, where she had several stitches in her lip and chin. Her parents Steve and Elaine were called at 5am and were deeply distressed by the injuries to their daughter's face.

Jess, who works as a document co-ordinator for an insurance company, was upset when police told her they had been unable to locate the driver and that there were no more lines of enquiry they could follow.

She was supported by Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie.

A police spokesman previously said: "Because Ms Rowles has a right to make a complaint if she feels we have not carried out a thorough investigation, this has been reported to the force's professional standards department to review."


Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Man-hands- ... z3BalzRZOX

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin