Taxi Driver Online

Drunk yob racially abused Derby taxi driver before attacking police officers

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... by-8180170

Daniel Harris from Mackworth has been told it's his 'last chance'


Image: Derby Telegraph

A taxi driver was racially abused during an unprovoked attack in Derby city centre. Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard how passers-by helped restrain attacker Daniel Harris after witnessing the 20-year-old rain blows down on the poor victim.

Moments before, he had damaged an internal window on the cab and when police arrived to arrest Harris he struck one of them before assaulting a second officer when he was taken into custody. At the time of the offence he was already the subject of a community order for a similar conviction imposed just months earlier.

Handing Harris a 12-week jail term, suspended for a year, the chair of the bench said: "This is your last chance. There is just that glimmer of hope for you, but this is a massive sentence and we are giving you the chance not to go to prison. The ball is in your court, you are very lucky you are going home."

Lynn Bickley, prosecuting, said the offences took place at around 12.30am on July 17, last year. She said the victim was driving his taxi and had stopped at traffic lights in Curzon Street when Harris suddenly appeared and grabbed hold of an open window.

The prosecutor said the driver set off, then stopped as he did not want to drag the defendant, who was still holding on, along the road. Miss Bickley said: "The defendant jumped in and the driver stopped in Friar Gate and asked him to get out.

"The defendant pulled the glass out, asking to be taken home, the glass was completely broken. The driver got out of the taxi and the defendant started to punch the victim to the right side of the head.

"The victim was trying to pin the defendant to a wall but it did not work and the defendant shouted 'I am going to kill you P***'. Members of the public came over to assist and the police arrived."

Miss Bickley said as officers attempted to arrest Harris, of Lilac Avenue, he raised his knee making contact with one of them. Then, when he was taken into custody, he struck another officer to the chest area.

In a victim impact statement, the driver said he had been working as a cabbie for 25 years and that the behaviour he was subjected to in the early hours of that morning was "unacceptable".

He said: "What makes it worse is that he made a personal (racist) attack towards me." Harris pleaded guilty to racially-aggravated assault, two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage.

As part of the suspended sentence, magistrates ordered him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and to go on a 120-day electronically-monitored alcohol abstinence programme.

Simon Dhillon, mitigating, said his client has never been into custody before and was "petrified" at the prospect of doing so. He said Harris works part-time in removals and lives at home with his mother, father and sister.

Mr Dhillon said: "Alcohol played a part in this offence and he was turning to alcohol due to factors including his father's diagnosis of cancer and grieving for the loss of his best friend unexpectedly. In his own words, he's a 20-year-old who needs to turn over a new leaf."

Wonder how similar it was? Another taxi-related offence? Maybe that's why he's now got a permanent beef with taxi drivers

(Can't see any sign of a similar offence on here, or any previous stuff via Google.)

Thug is 20 now, would have been 19 when he committed the offence.

If he had an order in place there is every chance the offence that led to the order was committed when he was under 18.

Hence no report anywhere as it would be illegal.

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IDFIMH