Taxi Driver Online

Presumably this guy is PHD, but not clear, and if that's his trade motor then there's no sign of a front plate or whatever.

Anyway, I'm sure we've all been a here in terms of peripheral involvement in some kind of illegality, although maybe not crime as serious as this

But, of course the crucial (and unusual) word here is 'unbeknownst to him'...

But all these photos (five in the article in total) and the narrative seems to be sourced from his lawyers here.

To that extent you'd think police at least had some evidence of his involvement, however misguided, but for obvious reasons there's no outline of that here.

And the precise grounds of the legal action aren't detailed either.


Glasgow taxi driver to sue Police Scotland after 10 months in jail

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/sco ... nths-jail/



A Glasgow taxi driver is suing Police Scotland after he was wrongly imprisoned in Barlinnie for 10 months.

Scott Troy, 43, is taking legal action after being arrested and remanded in custody following a routine taxi booking in the Pollok area of Glasgow in August 2023.

Unbeknownst to him, the four men he collected had just been involved in a violent attempted murder that reportedly involved a machete and a firearm.

Mr Troy was arrested at his home around 12 days later, with police believing he was a getaway driver in the murder plot.

He said: "That night I was just doing my usual shift – I had no idea things were going to pan out the way they did.

"It really was the wrong place at the wrong time.

"When I picked up the four men, I didn’t even think anything untoward was going on.

"The first I knew of any wrongdoing was when the police came to my house and cuffed me on the spot.

"I was completely innocent, and I pleaded with the officers, but they wouldn’t hear it."



The long-standing taxi driver says he was wrongly detained despite his employers confirming it was a standard booking and that he would have had no knowledge of his passengers' actions.

Mr Troy spent 10 months on remand in HMP Barlinnie before prosecutors accepted he was not part of the crime.

He is now suing Police Scotland in the Court of Session in a six-figure legal action to seek recognition for psychological harm and the long-term impact on his work and personal life.

Mr Troy said: "There was so much evidence to prove I was innocent – they even checked with my boss at the taxi rank who manages the bookings so the police knew I was just sent there by chance.

"I was wrongly arrested, spent 10 months in Barlinnie and my name was publicly trashed.

"That kind of experience changes you."

Theresa Mutapi, a partner at Digby Brown who is representing Mr Troy, said: "Mr Troy was fulfilling his duty as a taxi driver by responding to a booking and had no way of knowing who his passengers were.

"He should not have been arrested, charged or jailed and basic investigatory steps would have confirmed this.

"Mr Troy deserves to have his name cleared and be compensated for his suffering, and we will continue to support him accordingly as the case progresses."

Presumably 'rank' here is used in the office sense, although I thought that was more of a thing in the north of England as opposed to Glasgow.

But presumably safe to assume it was a legitimate pre-booking, as opposed to just an on-street hire, whether legitimate or not

The fact that he was sent to that job at random does leave many questions for the police to answer.

Nothing is mentioned as to the relationship, if any, between the driver and the punters, but surely the police must have had something to put to the court for the court to authorise the remand in custody.

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IDFIMH

A bit more detail about the case and the court process in the Scottish Sun's piece.

It reads like they thought he was connected to organised crime in some way, but I'm not sure if that's what it's saying, precisely.

But prosecutors blaming police for it all, and police blaming prosecutors

But a classic example of why I'm always cynical about the 'working closely' with 'partner agencies' sort of spiel

And there's been endless stuff in the past few years about the relationship between police and the prosecutors up here in relation to all the Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon stuff, and the sex charges brought against the former, and the decision not to prosecute the latter in relation to her husband's embezzlement stuff.

And none of that stuff is anywhere near being put to bed yet either...


'I WAS INNOCENT' Scots machete ‘getaway’ cabbie sues cops after being wrongly jailed for 10 months

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1 ... ly-jailed/

A TRAUMATISED cabbie has told of his personal hell after he was accused of being a murder bid gang’s getaway driver.

Scott Troy, 43, is now suing the police over his claim that he was wrongly arrested before he “spent 10 months in Barlinnie” and had his name “publicly trashed”.


Image: Steve Welsh/The Scottish Sun

And he says detectives ignored company records, which would have proved his innocence.

Scott’s nightmare began in August 2023 when he was despatched by his taxi firm to collect four men in Pollok, Glasgow.

But he had no idea that his passengers had just carried out a brutal attack on shopkeeper Mohammed Arif, who later needed his leg amputated. The thugs had been armed at the time with a machete and a gun.

Cops then came to Scott’s house 12 days later and arrested him on suspicion of being the getaway driver.

He was held on remand for almost a year in the city’s Barlinnie nick before prosecutors accepted he was not involved.

But Scott, a cabbie for nearly ten years, claims his innocence was quickly proven after a boss confirmed he had been asked to respond to a routine booking.

He said: “The first I knew that anything was wrong was when the police came to my house and cuffed me on the spot.

“I was completely innocent, and I pleaded with the officers, but they wouldn’t hear it.

“They checked with my boss at the taxi rank, who manages the bookings, so the police knew I was just sent there by chance.”

Scott now has a six-figure legal action at the Court of Session in Edinburgh to seek compensation for the psychological harm and long-term impact on his work and personal life.

He said: “That night I was just doing my usual shift. It really was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“When I picked up the four men, I didn’t think that anything untoward was going on.”

The gang had worn forensic suits plus masks and wielded blades and a blank-firing handgun when they ambushed Mr Arif, 38, near his store in Pollok.

A trial at the city’s High Court heard how Mr Arif was set upon because he “wanted to distance himself” from drug dealers.

Dylan Haldane, 38, and Liam McDonald, 37, were found guilty of attempted murder last December and locked up for 13 years and 14 years respectively.

William Dickson, 40, pleaded guilty in 2024 and was caged for nine years.


Dylan Haldane (Image: Police Scotland/The Scottish Sun)

Scott had earlier appeared in the dock at Glasgow Sheriff Court next to MacDonald and Haldane in August 2023, just 16 days after the attack on Mr Arif.

Two months later, a judge continued his remand after ruling he was to stand trial with the others on an attempted murder charge that was aggravated by “a connection with serious organised crime”.

He was later released, with all charges dropped. But no apology was made to him by police.

A source said: “The Crown is blaming the cops for putting Scott in their report.

“But the police are saying, ‘It’s up to the Crown to decide what to do, we just gather evidence.’

“The evidence shows he could only have been included as a witness, not a suspect.

“Imagine being in Barlinnie just for picking up a fare.”

Theresa Mutapi, of law firm Digby Brown, said: “Mr Troy should not have been arrested, charged or jailed, and basic steps would have confirmed this."

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “As this is an ongoing legal case, it would be inappropriate to comment.”

The Crown Office said it “considered all relevant evidence and information in deciding to raise proceedings and before deciding to accept a plea of not guilty”.

Clearly the Crown have messed up by requesting a remand based on a wrong assumption, as is the Judge for not questioning the decision, as did the Police for not questioning the Crown's remand decision.

On top of all that, one has to wonder what his defence was doing at the time. A half-decent defence solicitor would have got this mess sorted.

So shame on all of the above.

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IDFIMH