Taxi driver acquitted of assault
Our Client was charged with criminal assault. He had been a cab driver for many years. He has a wife and two children and is the sole bread winner in his family.
He was arrested following an accusation by one of his female passengers. He had been accused of using racially abusive language whilst in the cab and, at the end of the journey, getting out of the car and raising his arm to threaten to hit his customer. There were no other witnesses to the event. Our client remembered the passenger because she was difficult, wouldn’t tell him where she wanted to go and complained about him while he drove. Our client was of good character, had never before faced criminal charges or any complaints about his behavior. If the charges were upheld he would have lost his cab license and his livelihood.
Moss & Co prepared the case carefully. Full disclosure was requested from the prosecution including details of all 999 calls and messages as well as the incident report. A statement was taken from the cab controller. A detailed analysis was prepared of the police interview and other evidence.
Our client deciding he wanted the case disposed of quickly elected magistrates court trial. Our client gave evidence well and a character reference from his employer was also heard. After a short hearing our client was acquitted of all charges.
Note some relatively minor cases can have devastating consequences for the accused. This is especially true of people engaged in jobs, such as taxi driving where they are in constant contact with members of the public. The law of averages means that sooner or later a difficult customer will come along. The stakes are high and cases require proper preparation and commitment from the defendant’s lawyers.
Suzanne Bird did this case