LIVERPOOL

A taxi driver was found covered in blood and begging for help in the boot of his own car after being “kidnapped” by masked men, a court heard.
Kenneth Murphy was found after police pursued his Audi car which crashed into a metal fence in Cairo Street, Walton, where his attackers fled on foot.

Alfie Cochrane, 34; Jamie Glenholmes, 23; Callum Clarke, 24; Paul Dwyer, 29, and Dylan Gleeson, 24, were later arrested and face joint charges of false imprisonment and causing GBH with intent.

The men are all standing trial at Liverpool Crown Court other than Clarke, who the jury were told is being tried in his absence.

The court heard black cab driver Mr Murphy was in his personal Audi car on the evening of October 8, 2016, when he was attacked by the junction of Felmersham Avenue and Sedgemoor Road, Norris Green.

Gerald Baxter, prosecuting, told the jury CCTV enquiries revealed a black Ford Focus and a Gold Volvo had been following Mr Murphy’s vehicle for some time before ambushing him.

He told the jury: “He suddenly found himself being blocked in from the front and the rear by two cars, which the prosecution say must have been the Focus and the Volvo.

“Within moments the driver’s door window was smashed, the door was opened and Mr. Murphy was being dragged out. He was hit over the head and punched numerous times.

  “He cannot identify or even describe his attackers, save to say that their faces were covered and they had Liverpool accents...

“He was dragged along the ground and thrown into the boot of his own car, which was driven away at high speed.”

Mr Baxter said police had received reports of speeding vehicles and a PC Helsby began following the Audi after spotting it on Carisbrooke Road, Walton.

The car accelerated away and sped through narrow side streets until hitting a dead end in Cairo Street.
Mr Baxter said the car struck a fence and officers noticed a “large stocky male” and a “slightly shorter, thinner male” get out of the vehicle and jump the fence, fleeing across a grassy area.

He told the jury: “When the two officers got out of the police vehicle, they immediately realised that there was someone in the boot of the Audi.

“It was of course Mr Murphy, and he was in a terrible state. He was covered in blood from a deep cut to his forehead, he had two black eyes; the left eye and cheek being so swollen that the left eye was completely closed over. He was absolutely petrified and was pleading for help.”

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LONDON


The public's help is needed as a knife-wielding man is still on the loose after stabbing a taxi driver repeatedly as he was parked outside Harrow-on-the-Hill station .

Detectives are appealing for information after two men opened the London Hackney carriage door as it was parked in the taxi rank in College Road, and demanded money on Sunday morning (March 4).

The taxi driver, a man in his early 50s, attempted to close the door of the black cab and one of the men stabbed him in the leg and arm.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The suspects then made off empty-handed.

"The victim was taken to a central London hospital and treated for his injuries; he has since been discharged.

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READING CROWN COURT


  A TAXI driver who is accused of picking up two young women and raping them in his car has appeared in court.

Ruhen Miah, of Charter Road, Newbury was charged with two counts of rape on March 6 and he was put before magistrates later the same day.
The charges relate to two offences on January 20 and February 24, where two women were raped in the town.

Miah, 42, did not enter a plea on Tuesday and will appear at Reading Crown Court on April 10 after being remanded in custody.

Claire Barclay, prosecuting at the magistrates court, said: "This matter must go straight to crown court and there is no bail application."

 A 40-year-old man who was also arrested in connection with the two incidents has been released under police investigation.

In the first incident, the victim was raped after she left The Vault nightclub in Kennet Shopping Centre on the evening of January 19.

On February 24, a 29-year-old woman left the Coopers Arms in Bartholomew Street in the early hours.

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 ATHENS (Reuters) - Hundreds of taxi drivers marched in central Athens on Tuesday to protest at what they called an “invasion” by Uber, and attacked passing cars they thought were being used by the ride-hailing service.

The drivers say the services are taking their business. They have also accused the Greek government of holding up legislation to regulate booking apps such as Uber and the locally-developed app Beat.

“We will not co-exist with them,” said Yorgos Souitsmes, one of the protesting drivers. “It’s a multinational that wants to steal the bread of Greeks.”

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Banners held up by protesters read “Uber No Thanks.” Crowds kicked and punched or hurled coffee at at least three passing cars they said were driven by Uber drivers.

SATA, a regional union representing taxi drivers, called a nine-hour strike on Tuesday against “every innovative platform robbing taxi drivers and our country”.

“For three years now we’ve been fighting a big and daily battle to counter Uber’s ... arbitrary invasion of public transport,” it said in a statement.

Uber has faced regulatory and legal setbacks around the world prompted by opposition from traditional taxi services and disputes over labor rights. It has been forced to quit several countries, including Denmark and Hungary.

The Transport Ministry has not released details on the legislation but media reports suggested it plans to force app operators to sign three-year contracts with licensed taxi drivers and subject them to strict rules.

News of the plan last year angered commuters worried it would disrupt a popular service. Tens of thousands signed a petition launched by Beat in favor of ride-hailing services.

Beat, which was bought by German carmaker Daimler last year, has more than 1 million customers in Greece. Uber is not as widely used in Greece.

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