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Taxi driver brutally attacked...for £25
A CABBIE was savagely beaten and robbed as he drove a man home from a pub in Siddal, Halifax.
Drunken Michael Samples, 19, had downed 13 pints of lager when he attacked taxi driver Mohammed Rafique and stole 25 from him.
Samples was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 16 months at a young offender institute after admitting the robbery on February 25.
The court heard he had called the taxi firm requesting a pick-up from the Siddal Place Hotel at 10.15pm to take him to Backhold Drive, Siddal.
Mr Rafique had set off, with Samples in the passenger seat, when – without warning – he was punched in face.
Kathryn Walsh, prosecuting, said: "The defendant punched him repeatedly, at one point using racist language."
As Samples continued to rain blows, Mr Rafique managed to perform a U-turn and stopped outside the Chapati House takeaway.
He beeped his horn and two takeaway workers ran to help.
"At this point, Samples was still punching Mr Rafique," said Miss Walsh.
Samples, of Hopkinson Street, Halifax, fled but one of the workers chased him and grabbed the jacket from his back, which also contained his mobile phone – and led police directly to him.
Mr Rafique was treated in hospital for cuts, swelling and bruises on his head and face.
Shufqat Khan, mitigating, said Samples – who had no previous convictions – had no recollection of the attack and was genuinely remorseful.
Mr Khan said: "This is a young man who is ashamed and embarrassed."
He said his parents' relationship had broken down, which had affected him psychologically.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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