Belfast: Taxi driver 'haunted' after choking attack

A taxi driver who described being choked unconscious and robbed at work, said he has been "haunted" by the attack.

Eddie, not his real name, picked up a man in east Belfast shortly after 02:50 GMT on Sunday.

When the man told him he had no money, Eddie stopped his vehicle before the man attacked him, stole cash and cards and then ran away.

The PSNI is investigating the incident and has appealed for witnesses.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Eddie described the attack as a "haunting" experience that left him "too frightened to go out".

Eddie described his injuries on the programme saying the blood vessels in his face and eyes burst as his wind-pipe was being crushed.

He said swelling in his mouth and tongue meant he could not eat solid food.

When asked how he had been coping, he said he had been unable to sleep without imagining being choked.

He told the programme his credit cards were stolen: "I don't know if he knows where I live, or that he's not going to come to my house... He knows who I am."

'Fear of assault'

The PSNI described the attacker as approximately 5ft 10ins (177cm) in height, with short dark hair, aged in his early 20sand wearing a grey tracksuit and a grey cap with dark trainers.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Taxi drivers should be able to go about their business in our community without fear of assault.

"This was a terrifying ordeal, and the driver sustained a number of injuries to his face, throat and neck."

The police said the driver had alerted people nearby by repeatedly hitting his horn.

Eddie said the taxi company he works for had been "amazing" and that before he became unconscious he was able to press the panic button that many taxi driving companies provide for driver safety.

He said other taxi drivers had been left shaken by the assault and that while he was "concerned" for them, he felt lucky to be "still here to talk about this".

In a statement, Fonacab, who Eddie was working for, said it holds "the safety of all of our drivers and passengers in the highest regard and do everything we can to both mitigate risk, but to also deal with any incidents should they occur".

It added: "While drivers who work the more anti-social hours may be more likely to encounter behaviour such as drunkenness and minor anti-social behaviour, thankfully serious incidents such as this are very rare.

"Each Fonacab driver is equipped with a 'data head' which incorporates an easily operated panic alert facility should the driver need it while working.

"This, along with advanced GPS and in car communications, allows us to quickly identify if a driver needs help, where the incident has taken place, and if required implement an escalation process which includes police involvement.

"In the reported incident, we were in contact with the driver eight seconds after the panic button was pressed, and with the police 10 seconds after the incident was reported."

'Out there on your own'

Another taxi driver, Pat Meehan, told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme that drivers are "fearful" going to work and feel vulnerable.

"You're out there on your own, you have people in your car, you're looking at them thinking at any time one of those people could attack you," he said.

"Is that any way you carry through your business, is that any way to live your life?

"You're looking at every job, thinking 'are they OK?'"

Meanwhile, a 29-year-old man has been charged over a separate incident in north Belfast in the early hours of Sunday.

The man has been charged with robbery, fraud by false representation and making off without paying. It is in connection with the robbery of a taxi driver.