Private Hire Driver stabbed in the eye with passengers stiletto during terrifying late night drunken attack

via taxi-point https://ift.tt/2Bvf7dp

A Birmingham private hire driver has tragically lost an eye after he was attacked by drunk passengers. Father-of-three, Afaq Iftikhar, picked up four women and a man from the Arcadian Centre, Birmingham, at around 4:30am on Saturday when things soon turned violent. Mr Iftikhar was forced to pull over his vehicle after one of the women began being sick.

Iftikhar said he got out his vehicle and asked the vomiting women to also exit the vehicle, this is when he saw one of the other passengers stealing money from the front of his car. Confronting them, Iftikhar threatened to call the police, this is when they turned on him. Being threatened with violence, Iftikhar told them to just leave and not to worry about paying. He was then attacked. The lady who had vomited, pulled one of her stiletto shoes off and hit Iftikhar across the face, rupturing his right eye. He was then repeatedly punched by two of the other passengers.

Iftikhar waited six minutes with blood gushing down his face before help arrived. The attackers also made away with money which they stole from the front of the vehicle. Iftikhar now fears that he may never be able to drive again, saying his world has been turned upside down. With three children to take care of he is now left worried about how he will earn a living. Iftikhar told Birmingham Live, that he could now be registered legally blind and could lose his job because of the attack. Iftikhar highlighted the dangers of driving a private hire vehicle which doesn’t have a security panel separating the driver from the passengers like traditional black taxis have.

(All images courtesy of Afaq Iftikhar)

December 18, 2018 at 09:56AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT