Cabbie: Attack will live with me forever
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by Lynn Cox
lcox@thekmgroup.co.uk
A taxi diver who was attacked and racially abused by a thug
said it took him more than eight months to get back into his cab
after his ordeal.
Mohammad Hossain was attacked by violent yob Tony Atherton who
broke his nose, left him unconscious and accused him of being a
member of the Taliban.
Atherton, 26, of Bond Road, Parkwood,Rainham,was jailed for four
and a half years after admitting inflicting grievous bodily harm,
assault causingactual bodily harm, affray and another offence of
burglary.
Mr Hossain, 34, was attacked while he was working a night shift
on September 13 last year, and was asked to pick up a fare from a
Maidstone club.
He was flagged down by two men and two women, who duped him into
taking them to Medway after claiming to be those who had booked the
cab.
Speaking exclusively to the Medway Messenger, Mr Hossain, who
has a young daughter and lives in Gillingham, said the incident had
stopped him working until May this year.
He said: "It's been hard to get over it. It wasn't so much the
injuries he gave me it was the insulting racist remarks.
"One of the girls who was sitting next to me was laughing at
what he was saying, this I found very horrible and upsetting.
"He started pulling my hair and then my Bluetooth ear-piece, he
was doing everything he could to wind me up."
Mr Hossain, who is originally from Bangladesh and has lived in
Britain for the past 10 years, pulled over and asked the four to
get out of his cab.
It was then Atherton punched him and broke his nose. One of the
women in the car also started hitting him.
Mr Hossain added: "He said some very bad things about my
religion and accused me of being the Taliban.
"The verbal abuse was horrible, I am a human being and should
not have to go through that.
"I now worry that when my daughter grows up, will she be taunted
like this because of the colour of her skin?
"What happened will live with me forever.
"I am now working again but pick the hours I do so I can spend
time with my daughter."
Friday, November 12 2010
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