A Newcastle taxi driver went into a rage when a member of a family threw a lollipop at his car. Hasan Mohammed then turned his 1.5 tonne Skoda into a deadly weapon
A cab driver intentionally targeted a family with his vehicle and left a granddad with severe injuries after flying into a rage when someone lobbed a sweet at his motor. An ordinary family trip to a Newcastle restaurant became a horror story when Hasan Mohammed turned his 1.5 tonne Skoda into a deadly weapon.
Newcastle Crown Court was told one of the relatives had hurled the confectionery, given out at the conclusion of their dinner, at his vehicle because they were irritated by the pace it was travelling as it passed by. Mohammed lost his temper and reacted by spinning round and targeting the family, who had a very young child with them, as they made their way across the street.
He ploughed into one man, inflicting life-altering wounds and leaving him requiring a prosthetic shoulder. On September 14 last year, the family enjoyed a meal at the Persian Bite restaurant, on Brighton Grove, in Newcastle, when they came under attack.
Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said: “The three complainants were crossing the road when the defendant drove his vehicle deliberately at them at speed and caused significant injuries.”
The court was told Mohammed, 26, of Kingsley Terrace, Newcastle, who had clocked off as a taxi driver and was travelling home, was doing at least 33mph, above the 30mph speed limit, at the time and did not brake as he bore down on the family.
Judge Edward Bindloss said there had been an “inciting act” when someone threw a sweet or lollipop at the taxi and hit it. He said: “This was a road rage attack. You said to the jury you reacted in anger. You reacted in temper and turned your car around and drove in the way I’ve set out.
“You said, in evidence, the taxi is your property, it was your source of income and your livelihood. You said you looked after your car, it’s everything to you.”
“This was road rage, not revenge. (The injured man) had done nothing to you.”
The grandfather was left with devastating injuries, including a dislocated and fractured shoulder, reports Chronicle Live. It was shattered in so many places it couldn’t be mended and he required a shoulder replacement procedure.
His left leg was snapped in two places, his spine was fractured in two places and he suffered internal bleeding to his abdomen. In a victim impact statement, he said: “It’s had a profound and lasting impact on every aspect of my life. What began as a normal evening out with my family ended in something that changed my life forever.
“We were crossing the road, including with my one-year-old grandson, when a car approached at speed. I remember how quickly everything happened.
“After a brief altercation the driver turned his car around and drove directly at us. There was no time to protect myself, I was struck at speed.
“This was not an accident, it was a deliberate decision. We now live with the consequence of that decision every day.” He said he had worked tirelessly to establish businesses and support his family but due to his injuries, he is no longer capable of operating them.
He said: “My body no longer does what it should do. I can’t lift my arms properly. I now have to rely on my wife to help with basic tasks such as dressing and washing. I find this humiliating.
“I can no longer drive, I can’t simply go to the shops, I can’t leave the house independently.
“I’m no longer able to be the grandfather I once was. I can’t pick them up or take them out on my own. They are too young to understand why I’ve changed and I find that incredibly difficult.”
He added: “Everything about my life is now harder. Nothing is simply any more.
“In a matter of seconds, everything changed. I never thought I would be a burden on my family.
“The actions of one person has had a devastating impact on me and my family.”
Mohammed was convicted following a trial of causing GBH with intent and two counts of attempting to cause GBH with intent. He admitted to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He received a nine-year prison sentence and was disqualified from driving for 12-and-a-half years.