June 9, 2008
Gang rob Burnley cabbie at knifepoint
A TAXI driver was held up and robbed by a gang in Burnley.
Police say the driver, in his 30s, was dropping off a fare on the edge of the Griffin estate when he was attacked between 4.30am and 5am on Sunday.
The Asian cabbie had pulled up near the junction of Accrington Road and Griffin Street just before the robbery.
He had on board six or seven white men, whom he had picked up from the Hammerton Street and St James Street area beforehand in a blue Mercedes minibus.
But as the men were being dropped off there was an altercation, the taxi driver's pockets were rifled and his night's takings were stolen.
The men, who were thought to have been wearing tracksuits, then ran off towards the Griffin estate.
Police say one of them may have been armed with a blade during the hold-up.
Police have launched an appeal for witnesses who may have seen the gang being picked up in the town centre or being dropped off later.
Det Insp Sion Hall, of Burnley CID, said: "It was around 5am so it was nearly daylight and I would appeal for anyone who has seen anything to come forward.
"The driver has suffered some superficial injuries to his hands and a slight scratch to the forehead."
Taxi industry leaders have previously called for better protection for their drivers, following a series of disturbing attacks on lone cabbies.
Last month a driver was attacked as he dropped off three men in Reed Street. One restrained him while the others stole his cash bag.
Earlier this year two separate Burnley Crown Court cases highlighted the problem, detail-ing how one Burnley taxi driver fled his vehicle, after passengers turned violent, and another cabbie was mugged for his takings.
Mohammed Arif, chairman of Burnley Private Hire Taxi Association, called for the courts to severely punish those who targeted drivers, saying that his members were often left in vulnerable situations.
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