Cabbie’s kind deed repaid with a beating

A KINDLY taxi driver who took pity on two young men who could not rustle up the full price of their fare for a ride home, was repaid with vicious violence.

Francis McBride (71) had agreed to take the pair back to Oldham from the centre of Rochdale in the early hours despite their being drunk and short of cash.

But when they got to their destination they robbed him of his entire £300 takings which included the money they had given him up front- and brutally assaulted him.

Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court was told that the moment the taxi stopped, one of the men who was sitting in a back seat behind him lunged forward and used both arms to put him in a headlock.

The other who was in the front passenger seat demanded all his cash and punched him repeatedly to the head and face, continuing the assault even after the money had been handed over.

Mr Mcbride told a trial jury: "He was holding me as though he was going to kill me." He added: "The other punched me with his fists to the side of my face, my eye and my jaw. I counted four or five heavy blows but it could have been any number after that."

He said the final words of the man in the rear seat to him had been: "Don't contact the police."

Before the court are 25-year old Michael Edhouse of Barmouth Court, Oldham and 26-year old Daniel Swaincott of Lichens Crescent, Fitton Hill both of whom plead not guilty to a charge of robbery.

Paul Hodgkinson prosecuting,told the jury it was the Crown's case that Edhouse had been the man in the back of Mr McBride's Toyota Avensis car, while Swaincott had been the front seat passenger.

The two men had been drinking at various pubs in Rochdale throughout the afternoon, evening and night of May 28, and phoned Streamline cars for a taxi to take them home to Oldham at around 1.30am.

A woman who witnessed the assault told police she had seen the back seat passenger reach forward and put his hands around the driver's throat as if trying to strangle him.

The jury was told that both men had been captured on CCTV getting into the taxi, though both denied being the culprits.

It was suggested in cross examination to Mr McBride that he had been confused and had in fact been assaulted by someone outside the vehicle who had reached through his open driver's window.

Mr McBride said: "I was not confused. There were no other parties involved except the two men in the car."

The court was told that Mr McBride was robbed of a draw-string bag containing around £200 in coins, along with £100 in notes which had been in an inside pocket of his leather jacket. His electronic taxi meter was also taken.

(proceeding)