Leeds

A TAXI driver described the terrifying moment he had a crossbow pointed at his head as he was robbed after picking up a fare.

Darren Daly, 42, was off work for nearly a year suffering from depression after being subjected to the ordeal by three men who got into his cab pretending to be customers.

One of the attackers, 28-year-old Timothy Whitaker, was jailed for three years and four months yesterday over the incident which took place in the Bramley area of Leeds.

After the case Mr Daly, a driver for Stanningley Cars, said: “He is just scum.”

Leeds Crown Court heard two other men have been spoken to in connection with the incident but have not been charged due to a lack of evidence.

Mr Daly was targeted in the early hours of January 19 last year after picking up the men on Wood Grove, Farnley, and driving them onto the Broadlea estate in Bramley.

One of the men on the back seat then pointed the weapon at Mr Daly’s head and demanded cash. The men left with money but Whitaker, of Hesketh Avenue, Kirkstall, was arrested after the call ordering the cab was traced to his mobile phone. He pleaded guilty to robbery

David Ward, prosecuting, said Whitaker had served a 45-month prison sentence in the past for robbing pizza delivery drivers.

Graham Parkin, mitigating, said Whitaker had pleaded guilty to the offence on the basis that he was not holding the weapon but accepted he was part of a “joint enterprise.” Mr Parkin said: “This defendant didn’t need the money - but he didn’t distance himself.

Recorder Darren Preston told Whitaker: “There are certain types of people in society who deserve the protection of the courts. Taxi drivers serve the public at all times of the day and night and they are particularly at risk and vulnerable to this type of attack.

After the hearing, Mr Daly told the YEP: “I was off work with depression and anxiety for about ten months. I’m back now, but it has really affected me because you never know who you are going to pick up.

“I went out that day and risked my safety in the snow to pick up three lads and get them to their destination safely and this is what I get. I can’t believe someone could do this.”

“I’ve been told he (Whitaker) has got previous for this. To me he’s just scum.”
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Ryedale

There’ll be no taxis left soon

I write with reference to the Ryedale Community Transport bus report in Malton (Gazette & Herald January 28).

It was stated in that report that volunteer cars were cheaper than taxis. Yes, Ryedale Community Transport Scheme is a bit cheaper than local taxis, but then again taxis are not subject to handouts to the tune of many thousands of pounds when the scheme has run out of money.

We also do not close our doors and pack up every few years and start afresh under a new name and claim new grants. Since when have school contracts been community transport?

Ryecat has been under-cutting local bus and taxi companies tendering for these contracts for some years now. How come a local community transport scheme has a mileage chart of up to 190 miles?

190 miles will take you to the Lake District, the Scottish Borders and the M25 – hardly community transport around Ryedale.

The community transport schemes were brought in to help those people who required cheaper transport due to their circumstances.

This has been wildly ignored and now any Tom, Dick or Harry can join this scheme and basically misuse the system.

Taxis and private-hire vehicles are different to Ryedale Community Transport as they are making a living (or trying to) but at the same time putting thousands and thousands of pounds by the way of annual licences into Ryedale District Council’s coffers in order for them to pass on handouts to a charity that cannot stand on its own without continual help from its own district council or Lottery – it recently received £274,000.

RyeCat, now Ryedale Community Transport, has had about a third of a million pounds given to it in the form of handouts and grants for new vehicles, new offices etc.

Why doesn’t the district council put that money into travel tokens as it did about ten years ago? That way the funding is distributed fairly as people can use them on ordinary buses and taxis as well as “volunteer schemes”.

The correlation between the rise and rise of the community transport schemes and the demise of the taxi and bus trade around Ryedale is no coincidence.

A few years ago there were 15 taxis and private-hire vehicles working around Pickering, shared between nine businesses. There are now four businesses with just seven cars.

We obviously don’t want to stop all the worthwhile services that the community transport scheme brings to Ryedale but we can see that they are straying into other areas such as general taxiing, that they should not be in.

If the next community transport scheme to be run by the local WRVS in Pickering actually goes ahead then please, Ryedale residents, don’t complain if you can’t get a taxi on a Saturday night in Pickering because there won’t be any left. You have been warned.

These aid-driven charity taxi schemes, for that’s what they are, are causing immense damage to the local taxi trade, with several businesses already having to close down due to lack of work.

That is people losing their jobs and livelihoods. I do not see that as a way of serving the local community. by putting people out of work.

Grat Brown, secretary, Tony Kemp, spokesman, Ryedale Taxi and Private Hire Association


http://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/letters/11002246.There___ll_be_no_taxis_left_soon/
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Nottingham

A woman was sexually assaulted after getting into a car in the mistaken belief it was a taxi, police said.

The 24-year-old got into a dark-coloured saloon car in Retford, Nottinghamshire, at about 20:30 GMT on Tuesday.

The man, described as Asian and in his late 20s, pulled over on Leverton Road near North View Farm, got her out of the car and assaulted her.

He then drove off but returned to steal her phone and handbag.
was assaulted near to North View Farm at around 8.30pm.

The woman was in Retford when she got into the man's car, thought to be a dark-coloured saloon, mistakenly thinking it was a taxi.

While they were driving along Leverton Road, the man pulled over, got her out of the car and sexually assaulted her.

He drove off before returning to take her phone and her handbag.
The man was Asian in appearance, in his late 20s/early 30s, with dark hair. He was clean shaven, just under 6ft tall, and of medium build.


He wore dark clothing, including a polo shirt with a jumper or cardigan on top.
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