Cabbie claims Paul Gascoigne attacked him

by Aftab Sun 6 Apr 2008 - 18:22

Cabbie claims Paul Gascoigne attacked him after refusing to pay fare for 200 mile trip
by Jeremy Armstrong 1/04/2008
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/04/01/my-200-mile-taxi-hell-with-gazza-89520-20369235/

Paul Gascoigne was facing a police probe last night after allegedly grabbing a taxi driver by the throat and refusing to pay a £350 fare after a boozy 200-mile trip.

Adnan Aziz, 30, claims the star clambered into his cab in Newcastle after missing his train to Birmingham.

He said that during a bizarre, four-hour journey the troubled ex-footballer kept asking for booze, raged at motel staff and vowed to "give up cocaine" and be Kevin Keegan's No2 at Newcastle United. Adnan said: "He was slurring his words, effing and blinding. Then he said, 'Do you want to DJ at my sister's wedding?' Gazza rang his dad and said 'I'm in trouble again, I'm in a taxi and I have had a couple of bottles of wine'."

Adnan, of Newcastle, said Gazza kept asking where his two bottles of wine were. He went on: "He kept leaning forward saying, 'Hurry'.

"He demanded I find an off-licence then said he was tired. We stopped at a Travel Lodge and when the receptionist said it was full he was swearing at her. Then he tried the Travel Inn, saying 'Do you know who I am?'. We phoned the lady he was supposed to meet and she agreed to meet us at Leicester services."

Gazza, 40, then got in the front and emptied the glove compartment, throwing things out the window.

Bizarrely, the star emptied then refilled his bag, adding some of Adnan's possessions. Adnan went on: "By this time, I was scared. He kept on about his dad being the hardest man in Newcastle and knowing other hard men. He said he wanted to stop taking cocaine, get clean and be Kevin Keegan's No 2 at Newcastle."

Adnan said he dropped Gazza off at the rendez-vous with his female friend and asked for his fare. He said: "He grabbed me by the throat. I said 'Come on, you're a millionaire' and he said, 'No, I'm not a f***ing millionaire, I've been through a divorce."

Police confirmed the incident had been reported.