Women robbed taxi driver (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Women robbed taxi driver

1:21pm Wednesday 1st August 2007

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A TAXI driver was robbed by two women who threatened to "cry rape" unless he handed over his takings.

Muhmmed Laqib was attacked after driving to a quiet car park in Welwyn Garden City having picked up the fare at his office, St Albans Crown Court heard.

Selina Dunning, 24, of Margery Wood, Welwyn Garden City, was found guilty of robbery on Monday. Her friend Carlie Clark pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.

Mr Laqib told the court once he parked up, the girl in the front - who was Dunning - said: "Whatever your takings are tonight you are going to give them to me or I am going to make a noise you raped me.".

The court heard that the girl in the back, Clark, then tried to strangle him with a belt, while Dunning went through his pockets.

The taxi driver of seven years managed to get free, grabbed his takings, and ran up the road after being further attacked and chased by both girls.

Dunning told the court a different version of how events unfolded in the early hours of Saturday, September 30, last year.

She said the two hailed the car over from the street and the vehicle, from Anglia Cars in Luton, pulled over.

Dunning said on the journey home Mr Laqib "touched up" both girls.

The defendant claimed she told him to stop it, but when they stopped the car, away from her house, because she did not want him to know her address, she said, he asked her to perform a sex act because the fare was more than they paid up front.

Dunning said at this point Carlie tried to strangle him, but she told her to get off, and went home while her friend chased the driver and vandalised his taxi and took money that was left inside the cab.

Dunning, who is pregnant with her second child, has never been in trouble before.

Summing up, Ms Kaja Reiff-Musgrove, defending, tried to discredit Mr Laqib pointing out how he had forged an MOT after being caught driving without one. She said he had "lied" about where he picked the women up from - private hire drivers can only take pre-booked fares, and are not authorised to be flagged down.

She also said Dunning had no idea her friend was going to attack the driver, but that Clark had done so because Mr Laqib's "inappropriate sexual behaviour" had made her very angry.

Andrew Lewis, prosecuting, told the jury that Dunning had sat in the front of the car as part of the planned robbery. He pointed to Mr Laquib's evidence that she had played an equal part in the robbery and attacked him along with her friend.

The jury found Dunning guilty within a matter of hours. Both women will be sentenced on Thursday, September 13.

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