Man jailed for trying to blind taxi driver

Man jailed for trying to blind taxi driver

http://www.rugbytoday.co.uk/news/Man-jailed-for-trying-to.3462160.jp

A YOUNG man who tried to gouge out a Rugby taxi driver's eye during an attempt to rob him has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.


Scott Wilson, 21, of Whernside, Brownsover, Rugby, had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to assaulting driver Stephen Rumney in May with intent to rob him.

Wilson had originally denied the charge, but changed his plea to guilty on the day he had been due to stand trial last month, prosecutor Tammy Mears told the court.

Miss Mears said that Mr Rumney was in Rugby town centre at about 9.30pm when he had a call from his control to pick some people from the workers' club in Oliver Street.

When they got into his taxi a group of young men, including Wilson, asked to be taken to the Griffin pub.

After dropping them off Mr Rumney waited in his car for directions from his controller about his next fare – only to be told to remain where he was because there had just been a call to a pick-up at the Griffin.

A couple of minutes later Wilson and two friends came out of the pub and got into the taxi, with Wilson sitting in the front.

His two friends got out where they wanted to be dropped off, and Wilson, who had originally asked to be taken to the Merry Monk pub in Brownsover, asked the driver to take him to another pub instead.

On the journey Wilson said money had been taken from him during the evening and that when he found the person who had taken it he would stab him, commenting that he had a knife in his sock.

Mr. Rumney was not over-concerned because he was used to such bravado from drunken young men.

Wilson then changed his mind and asked to be taken to the car park of the Merry Monk, at which Mr Rumney did become concerned because it was a quite secluded spot.

When they arrived the driver asked for the £5.60 fare, but Wilson said he had no money and punched him to the jaw and then pushed his fingers into Mr Rumney's eye.

The driver punched back, at which Wilson forced his finger even harder into his victim's eye, demanding money and threatening to stab him.

Mr Rumney punched him again, and Wilson got out and ran into the pub, but returned and again began to attack him, but he drove away for a short distance and called the police.

By the time officers arrived Mr Rumney's eye was very red and he had a lump to his chin.

Wilson, who had just completed a two-year community sentence for an earlier offence of
robbery at the time and was on
bail for disorderly behaviour, denied being responsible for the attack, but was identified by his victim, said Miss Mears.

Lawrence Watts, defending, said: "He has limited memory of these matters because he was drunk.

"It was a drunken act. It was not premeditated. His intention had been to run away without paying, but when the driver grabbed him the offence developed."

Asking the Judge to consider a suspended sentence, he added: "When sober, he is plainly a very difference young man indeed."

But jailing Wilson, Judge James Pyke told him: "When a taxi driver asked you for the fare you punched him on the chin and pressed your finger with force into his eye and threatened to stab him if he did not hand over money.

"You used ugly violence upon the taxi driver, and indeed you chose a very vulnerable part of the body, his eye, on which to inflict violence."

What an unfortunate job, we have to pick these such midless morons. I hope driver makes afull recovery.