Fenham taxi driver dragged reveller along Newcastle City Centre road following disputeShaban Hussain suddenly sped-off while the victim was getting out his cab on Mosley Street, which caused the vehicle to drag him along the roadA taxi driver dragged a reveller along a busy city centre road and ran over his ankle when he suddenly drove off as he was trying to get out of his cab.
Shaban Hussain was on Mosley Street, in Newcastle, at 3am when he stopped to pick up a fare and was approached by Michael Redmond and his son Jack.
The younger man asked the driver about taking them home, while Mr Redmond opened the side sliding door and began to get in.
But, a court heard that, after a quick, verbal confrontation between Jack and Hussain, the cabbie suddenly drove-off, dragging Mr Redmond along the road and running over his ankle as he tried to get out.
The victim suffered injuries to his legs and his horrified son and daughter looked on as Hussain sped-off from the scene.
The 45-year-old was only identified after a quick-thinking witness took a photo of his registration plate and handed it over to police, who pulled him over near the scene 30-minutes later.
Mr Redmond was taken by ambulance to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he underwent treatment and x-rays.
The court heard, after two years later, estate agent Mr Redmond is still undergoing scans on his ankles.
Now, Hussain, of Lindale Road, Fenham, Newcastle, has been found guilty after a trial at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court of driving without due care and attention and failing to stop and report an accident.
Giving evidence at the day-long hearing, dad-of-two Mr Redmond, from York, said he had been out for the evening with Jack and his daughter Chloe when they decided to get a taxi home in the early hours of November 16 2014.
He said Jack had flagged down a Hackney cab, which was stationary, and opened the front passenger door to ask if the driver could take them.
He said: “All I remember is that, while I was half way getting in the taxi, the driver changed his mind about taking us.
“I don’t know what happened. We’d had a nice evening and me and my son and daughter were just trying to get home.
“He just suddenly decided he didn’t want to take us, maybe because we were only going about three miles.”
Mr Redmond added: “He [the taxi driver] told Jack to get out, who was in the front, and Jack backed off out the taxi but I was still standing half in.
“I still had one foot on the ground and one in the taxi and I was leaning in. He suddenly just sped-off quite fast. It all happened in seconds. The sliding door slid back on me and the whole of the taxi was suddenly coming towards me, I could just see the back wheel coming towards me.
“I was dragged along the ground and then I remember the wheel going over my ankle. Chloe was standing behind me and all she could do was watch me getting dragged down the road. I was terrified and trying to scramble away from the wheel of the taxi. I ended up in the middle of the road.”
Lisa Down, prosecuting, said Hussain, who was in his Fiat Doblo Hackney taxi, drove off from the scene.
She said: “The taxi driver has driven off, causing the side door to slide forwards and backwards.
“Mr Redmond still had hold of the door at this point and the action of the taxi caused him to lose his balance and he was dragged along a short distance before he fell to the ground.
“Mr Redmond was injured. He suffered injuries to both legs. Following the incident, the defendant further failed to stop and further failed to report.”
Richard Haswell, defending, said Hussain denied careless driving, alleging he had suddenly sped-off because he was being attack by Jack, a claim magistrates rejected.
Hussain will be sentenced on Wednesday.
source:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... r-12339945
Login
Register
FAQ
