Taxi Driver Online

...a carbon copy of the Dundee rank queue death a few years ago - except here the victim was just knocked unconscious rather than dying

But a carbon copy otherwise - same rank, same aggressive queue jumping, same intervention, same violent response, same heading hitting ground...except victim didn't die here

At least no mention of any direct taxi angle, at least.

But certainly not the kind of banger you want in your car...


Perth man jailed for Dundee taxi rank assault

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/co ... k-assault/

Barry Thomson, 37, was sent to prison for seven months for punching a man to the ground.

A cowardly thug who knocked a stranger unconscious at a busy Dundee city centre taxi rank, then ran away, has been locked up.

Barry Thomson left the man with severe injuries after the “unprovoked” attack on Nethergate in front of horrified witnesses on March 19 2023.

Dundee Sheriff Court was previously told how an aggressive Thomson tried to push his way to the front of the queue, before verbally abusing a group of women.

A man tried to intervene to calm the situation before being thumped by Thomson.

He was left unconscious and bloodied, with hospital scans later showing several fractures to parts of his face.

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told Thomson: “The evidence showed very clearly you were intoxicated and were behaving in an aggressive and rude manner towards a group of women who were waiting in a queue for a taxi after enjoying a night out in Dundee.

“The complainer tried to come to their assistance but before he could do so, you assaulted him.

“This was unprovoked. Your behaviour towards him and those women was unacceptable.”

Trial evidence

A trial previously heard from Susan Young, who had been in the queue at the time and said Thomson pushed behind her friends while acting aggressively.

Ms Young, 55, said: “He was approaching really closely calling us bitches, telling us we’d not be getting in three separate taxis and we would be getting in one taxi.

“He was generally just calling us names and swearing.

“I asked him why he was so angry and asked him to calm down.”

Describing the attack on the victim, who she did not know, Ms Young said: “He was at the end of the taxi queue with a group of people.

“He must have seen it (Thomson’s behaviour) and shouted something like ‘that’s women’.

“He just got punched and he was knocked out. He fell back and smashed his head on the ground and was unconscious.”

Ms Young said Thomson ran away towards a lane next to the Trades House Bar, while she and her friends stayed with the bloodied man, awaiting paramedics.

She replied “absolutely not” when it was suggested the victim was the aggressor.

Disputed facts

Painter and decorator Thomson, a convicted domestic abuser, claimed he acted in self-defence.

He said: “He has come from the back to middle of the queue to get in my face.

“I wasn’t the aggressor. I didn’t want to fight anybody. I wanted to get home.”

In cross-examination, prosecutor Michael Robertson said to Thomson: “You were the one acting aggressively in the taxi queue – he wasn’t acting aggressively in the queue.”

Thomson responded: “I punched him. I am very sorry I punched him. Some of the facts are not correct.

“I don’t think a push would stun someone enough to get them away.”

Thomson, who had to be reprimanded for interrupting evidence, claimed the female witnesses were “absolutely steaming drunk” and said they were verbally abusing him.

Jailed

Solicitor David Holmes said Thomson would have been in a position to pay compensation at £100 per month or perform unpaid work.

Sheriff Carmichael believed only one sentence was appropriate, however, saying: “You have some previous convictions including one with a domestic aggravation.

“There are some limited, non-custodial sentences available.

“However, due to the nature of this assault and the resulting injuries, a custodial sentence is required.

“This is also needed in order to reflect society’s disapproval of such behaviour.”

Thomson, 37, of Monart Road in Perth, was jailed for seven months.

I'm 100% certain he wasn't expecting immediate custody.

_________________
IDFIMH

No sign of any trade involvement here, but, you know...

And as far as I know the nearest proper rank to this is the one in the earlier pieces, which is a couple of minutes' walk away.

But this piece says he 'attended at the taxi rank', on Argyllgait, after being refused entry to Aura nightclub.

Don't think there's actually a taxi rank there - back in the 1990s, there was an informal queue of taxis in the early hours, but it wasn't an official rank, and there was never much evidence of a queue of people if there were no taxis there - people would just wander about aimlesssly, and taxis would stop for them anywhere in the vicinity when flagged. In fact you'd have guessed the lack of order would more likely lead to rucks here than at the ranks proper, but this certainly seems to have nothing to do with stuff like that...


Dundee taxi rank assault victim needed reconstructive surgery for broken jaw

Callum Heenan attacked his victim after an earlier incident in a nightclub, in which he said he was 'sucker punched'.

A row in a Dundee nightclub ended in a man requiring reconstructive surgery after being attacked at a taxi rank.

Connor Coutts’ jaw was broken in two places after being assaulted by 24-year-old Callum Heenan on Argyllgait.

Heenan was criticised for his violent actions by a sheriff who stepped back from sending him to prison.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Mr Coutts was involved in an earlier altercation at Underground with Heenan, who claimed he was the victim of a “sucker punch”.

Prosecutor Lissie Cook said: “The altercation was dealt with by security staff and the complainer and his friend left.

“They were unable to gain entry to Aura and attended at the taxi rank.

“Whilst standing at the taxi rank at around 1.50am, the accused exited a vehicle and immediately approached the complainer and started arguing with him.”

Heenan punched Mr Coutts to the face and continued to punch him, before striking him on the head with his knee “a number of times”.

Police saw the attack on CCTV and found Mr Coutts bleeding from a cut to his left eye, mouth and nose.

Mr Coutts went to the emergency department of Ninewells Hospital but was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after being told he had suffered two breaks to his jaw.

He underwent reconstructive surgery and a metal plate was inserted.

‘He’s never been in a fight in his life’

Heenan, of Finlaggan Place, pled guilty to repeatedly punching Mr Coutts and striking him on the head with his knee to his severe injury on March 11 2023.

“He’s never been in a fight in his life,” solicitor Mike Short said.

“Mr Heenan had a bloody nose after being hit by the complainer.

“He described this as a sucker punch because he thought he was coming over to chat.

“Mr Heenan is not used to this type of behaviour and never had any problems.

“Even though the complainer was wrong, he didn’t deserve that.”

Sheriff John Rafferty placed Heenan on a restriction of liberty order for five months, keeping him indoors between 7pm and 5am.

The sheriff said: “Breaking somebody’s jaw in the early hours of the morning in a nightclub environment and requiring them to have surgery normally would result in a custodial sentence.

“I take into account your excellent conduct until this offence and I take into account your age.”

As in StreetView below, the taxis would queue down the double yellows here, and way back behind the camera. The clubs are up the side road to the left.

Not sure if it's precisely the same now. That hotel on the left wasn't there back then, and wouldn't think they'll be too happen with cars ranking there in the early hours, but who knows - the clubs etc have been there for decades

Some with long memories might recall that back then the now hotel site was an enclosure unused at night, and Dundee's really only ever PH-only firm started using the enclosure as a late night pick up point, which caused a huge hoohah.

But anyone could wander in, the PHVs were easily visible from outside, and people were forming queues inside the enclosure, etc, thus just like a proper rank queue. That, together with stuff like prominent vehicle stickers, and that the firm marketed itself as 203020 Taxis meant, I think, that they were deemed to be plying for hire, and I think the council shut it down ('think' being the appropriate word, because as per lots of stuff like this, it all goes on behind closed doors as regards official discussion, so it's not clear precisely what happened).

I was working across the water in St Andrews by that time, but remember going there one night to have a look at it all, after parking the car up on my way home (my route home went directly past here).

There were also some quite prominent articles about it in the local press, and at least one front page story in the evening paper, as I recall it.

In fact, pretty sure I've still got the press cuttings, but have got boxes and boxes of stuff like that, but who knows if I'll ever get round to sorting them all out

That was more than 20 years ago, so brings back memories. I used to buy at least three newspapers a day, and collected thousands of cuttings. I had a computer printer before most people as well, and must have printed out *thousands* of pages towards the end of last century/early this century.

Now it's years since I've bought a newspaper, and haven't owned a printer for years and years either

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.45999 ... FQAw%3D%3D