A Perth taxi driver locked up a woman passenger in his cab and sped off, threatening to run her over while she cried and begged him to let her go.
32-year-old Amrinder Singh has been sentenced to nine months in jail after being found guilty of charges of deprivation of liberty, threaten to harm or endanger and stealing. The sentence was suspended for 12 months.
His victim, 26-year-old Jamie McCord was with her partner in May this year when the couple took the cab Singh was driving. While Ms McCord’s partner went out to get money for the fare, Mr Singh thinking that they were trying to evade paying the fare, sped off with Ms McCord locking her in the vehicle and yelling threats at her.
Even as she begged for him to let her go, Singh kept driving at a high speed.
“I will kick you out of the car and I will run you over. And I won’t go to jail. You know why because I have got everything recorded,” he screamed at his hapless passenger who repeatedly begged him to take her back to her partner.
A video of the incident captured on the cab’s surveillance camera formed part of the evidence against Mr Singh that the trial judge described as “horrendous”.
District Court Judge Simon Stone said Singh had lost the plot on that particular night”.
“That is about the only way one can explain your rage,” Seven West Media quoted Judge Stone as saying.
“It was a terrifying and frightening ordeal for the victim and her boyfriend.
“Your actions were wholly disproportionate to your belief that you were going to be ripped off again or possibly harmed.”
Singh’s lawyer Terry Dobson said Singh had a long shift when he became suspicious of the couple and had a monumental brain snap. He said Singh had gone to counselling for anger management.
He said Singh would never work as a cabbie again.
Ms McCord said since the incident, she has stopped taking taxis. “I just hope it never happens to any other girls or any other person again,” she said.
