Chorley taxi driver speaks of 'months of trauma' after customer smashes up his vehicle
A taxi driver says he’s endured ‘months of trauma’ after a customer smashed up his cab.
Aminur Rahman from Chorley said he felt “vulnerable” and “helpless” during the incident in May when 28-year-old Jack Hardacre smashed a hole in the cab’s plastic screen, causing £300 of damage.
Mr Rahman said Hardacre started throwing punches at the screen after changing his mind over where he wanted to travel to.
Hardacre, of Hennel Lane, Walton-le-Dale, pleaded guilty to the criminal damage offence on October 20 – the day of his trail at Burnley Magistrates’ Court, but was found not guilty after trial of common assault.
He was sentenced to pay compensation of £320 and costs of £200.
The impact
Mr Rahman it was “an extremely frightening experience”, adding: “When the incident took place, I did feel vunerable, and not going to lie, helpless.
"The trauma takes a few months to get over it, it’s not easy.”
Fear of taxi drivers
Mr Rahman was supported in court by the recently-formed Chorley Taxi Association (CTA)
Shaz Malik of CTA said: “When a taxi driver encounters an altercation with a customer, they must be cautious in their actions and words. Taxi drivers often feel afraid to take any action, fearing that they may lose their license as a result.Having a violent or aggressive customer is every taxi driver's worst nightmare. It can result in abuse, racial abuse, physical harm to the driver, or damage to the vehicle. These situations usually arise because the customer refuses to pay their taxi fare."I strongly encourage all taxi drivers to report any such incidents to the police. While the process may be challenging and time-consuming, it is important to take legal action to prevent these crimes from happening again to other taxi drivers.”
He added: “To customers, my advice would be to avoid putting yourself in such a position in the first place.
"Taxi drivers have rights, and they can refuse service if they feel threatened. Racially abusing a taxi driver, damaging their vehicle, or assaulting them is offensive and against the law. Taxi drivers provide a service and should not be treated as human punch bags just because you are paying for their services.”